An initial categorization of foundational research in complex technical systems

Abstract

There has been intense foundational research in complex technical systems (CTSs) over the last half century. These systems are exemplified by advanced mechatronics systems, embedded control systems, real-time systems, agent-based smart systems, distributed software systems, internet of things systems, and cyber-physical systems. The objective of this paper is to offer an initial cataloguing of the various research domains and to identify the major research issues. The paper has an ontological flavour, because it concentrates on what research has been and is being done, rather than on why and how research is done. The underpinning study has been done in three stages: (i) intuition-driven exploration of a reference set of related academic publications, (ii) evidence-based specification of a categorization of the domains and subdomains of research, and (iii) refinement and validation of the proposed classification based on a control set of related academic publications. The proposed reasoning model identifies three categories of research domains. The 'intellectualizations' category includes research domains such as: (i) philosophy, (ii) ontology, and (iii) epistemology of CTSs. The research domains included in the 'realizations' category are: (iv) methodology, and (v) creation of CTSs. The domains considered in the 'influences' category are: (vi) manifestations, and (vii) axiology of CTSs. Based on the proposed reasoning model a landscape of foundational research in CTSs is proposed for public debate. Our follow-up study focuses on the extension of the proposed classification to other families of complex engineered systems such as sociotechnical systems and social ecosystems.

Framing Supradisciplinary Research for Intellectualized Cyber-Physical Systems: An Unfinished Story

“…The first one is the need to explore and synthesize proper cross-disciplinary (holistic) knowledge for conceptualization, design, and engineering of novel cyber-physical systems [8]. The second one is in the traditional reductionist culture of system development that separates the tasks of system development and allocates them to distinct departments [9]. These two phenomena eventually boil down to the need for collective research and feeding the development process with synthesized disciplinary knowledge.…”