Community-Scale Problem-Solving: Reflections on a Decade of Infrastructure Development in the MGI

Abstract

This paper describes the need for a unified representation of Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) problem-solving processes. An approach for solving this problem in the form of pattern-languages is proposed as well as a means for realizing them through existing infrastructure and community development activities. As part of this strategy, key lifecycle questions related to the importance of community-based modeling and sustainability are considered. Central to the entire paper are two observations: a) that MGI itself, as well as its domains, communities, and infrastructure, are complex systems; and b) that scalability of these complex systems is maximized through robust modeling. These ideas are discussed as a strategy toward community-centered growth, unification, and sustainability in MGI ecosystem-scale problem-solving and infrastructure development.