Systems of Systems

Introduction¹

 

Today’s society is permeated with the notion of systems: electoral system, ticket booking system, air traffic control system, etc. Is this a simple linguistic convention? Or a revival of systemics, perceived by some as the revival of a structuralism which, while formerly praised to the skies, had been brutally disparaged? Or, perhaps, the need to clarify a certain number of concepts and their dispersal within our society, a process accelerated by the rapid spread of technologies?

This book follows this logic, and aims to be a multidisciplinary reflection on “systems of systems”, which are currently found in many fields: banks, army, transportation, etc. What should we see in this, beyond the simple repetitive use of the concept of “system”? What makes this new field worthy of theoretical and practical attention? Do we need new tools to manage those systems?

To try and offer an extensive review of the field, this book is separated into two parts:

– “Systems of Systems, Concepts and Practical Illustrations” (Part 1);

– “Systems of Systems Engineering, Methods, Standards and Tools” (Part 2).

Introduction to Part 1

After laying down the definition of a system (it should be noted that this definition includes the system’s components and their interfaces, as well as the processes of their respective life cycles, from design to disposal and dismantling, and therefore includes the products and services necessary for these processes) and defining what a system of systems ...