User:JeffLong

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Hi... I'm a systems analyst who has had a life-long interest in complex systems. I use the term complex systems to refer to systems such as biological, economic, meteorological, climatological, and (simplest of these) organizational systems such as businesses. I decided in college that the tools we have to help us understand these systems are grossly inadequate, as if NASA were to use Roman Numerals and a large abacus to plan a trip to Mars.

After deciding that the main problem with complex system representations is that the number of rules (equations, knowledge, productions) is unmanageably large, I developed a theory of rules. The theory, called Ultra-Structure, provides a way to view rules at a higher level of abstraction. The theory utilizes a new abstraction, which helped me to realize that it was a representation problem.

To my great surprise, I found that there's no general subject of notational systems. Since starting and running the Notational Engineering Laboratory at George Washington University (1994-1998), I've advocated a new discipline I call notational engineering, where researchers could study the development of past notational systems (NS) and see if there is indeed a structure of notational revolutions. They could also compare and contrast the capabilities and limitations of current NS and see what cross-fertilizations might be useful; develop general criteria for successful new NS; and try to provide impartial tests for proposed new NS in various fields. If (as I have come to believe) NS are the principal interface between minds and realities, I think we can not ignore them any longer given the challenges we collectively face.