Fundamental Generation Systems

1Systems and their Designs

1.1. System modeling

A system is normally designed to provide services. It consists of hardware, software and human resources to meet a specific, clearly defined need. The history of science is full of such systems. Their manufacturing methods have evolved over time as a result of the experiences acquired, the evolution of technologies and the modeling approaches. Various notions can intervene in the description of a system. They concern its components and their groupings, their interactions and the interactions with the environment of the system.

Generally, the notion of a system implies interdependent entities, whose functionalities are fully specified. The system is clearly defined according to an equational and functional approach, in a top-down or bottom-up iterative process. It is top-down when the approach is analytical and allows each part to be broken down into sub-parts, which are sub-systems in their own right. The reverse iterative process – bottom-up – is instead oriented towards the construction of sub-systems from the more basic ones. The implementation of the system and its possible evolution are predetermined in a narrow and precise field, the functionalities being able to relate to various and varied fields: electrical, electronic, data-processing, mechanical, etc.

With the evolution of systems and the progress made in information and communication technologies, we can observe a trend of building large systems with an increasing ...