
THE NEED TO UNDERSTAND SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS
C.E. Siemieniuch, M.A. Sinclair & M.J. de C. Henshaw
School of Electronic, Electrical & Systems Engineering
Loughborough University, Loughborough, U.K.
Typically, systems are constructed of subsystems, and are hierar-
chical in nature. Systems of systems (SoS) differ, in that they are
composed of federated systems, each with an individual owner, and
usually held together by a network of contracts. SoS can last longer
than their component systems (and vice versa), leading to important
issues of evolution, emergence, resilience and agility. Those that last
longer do so because of their importance for society –