Systems Engineering for the Digital Age

Chapter 5Interactive Model‐Centric Systems Engineering

Donna H. Rhodes and Adam M. Ross

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

Introduction

Models are increasingly used for decision‐making in systems engineering, yet while human users are essential to a model's success, research into human–model interaction has been lacking (Rhodes and Ross 2015). Models represent an abstraction of reality and can come in a variety of forms and formats. Humans use models to augment their ability to make sense of the world and anticipate future outcomes. The idea that “humans use” models highlights human interaction as a necessary factor in model‐centric engineering.

Background

Motivated by the need to investigate the various aspects of humans interacting with models and model‐generated data, in the context of systems engineering practice, a research program was developed under the DoD Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC). This research program, entitled Interactive Model‐Centric Systems Engineering (IMCSE), was initiated and performed during the period 2014–2020. IMCSE research is grounded in a belief that improving human–model interaction and social dimensions of model‐based environments will significantly improve the effectiveness of digital engineering practice, quality of model‐supported decision‐making, and cultural acceptance of a digital future.

IMCSE aimed to develop transformative results through enabling intense human–model interaction, to rapidly conceive ...