Emergent Behavior in Complex Systems Engineering

Chapter 16RESEARCH AGENDA FOR NEXT-GENERATION COMPLEX SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Saikou Diallo¹, Saurabh Mittal², and Andreas Tolk³

¹Virginia Modeling, Analysis & Simulation Center, Old Dominion University, Suffolk, VA, USA

²The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA, USA

³The MITRE Corporation, Hampton, VA, USA

SUMMARY

In this chapter, we attempt to set the research agenda on emergence in the medium and long term. We first summarize the view of emergence from the authors in this book and conclude that almost all of them are focused on epistemological emergence, which results in better understand systems but fails in explaining the emergence of new categories as we seem to observe in the real world. Although the epistemological perspective is essential, the community must also focus on ontological emergence. We propose a simulation experience approach (SEA) based on the mix of live–virtual and constructive (LVC) simulation. We demonstrate that the research in employing emergence in complex systems (CSs) engineering must be transdisciplinary and propose a set of grand challenges that must be tackled to move forward.

ON ENGINEERING EMERGENCE: LEARNING FROM OTHERS

What are the reasons for emergence? Before we can begin to sketch an answer to this question, we must first determine what we mean by the term “emergence.” An investigation into the existing literature results in equal parts frustration and curiosity. That is because as engineers and scientists, we seek well-defined and unambiguous ...