System of systems engineering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
System-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE) is a set of developing processes and methods for designing and implementing solutions to System-of-Systems problems. SoSE is relatively new term being used in Department of Defense applications, but is increasingly being applied to non-military/security related problems (e.g. transportation, healthcare, internet, search and rescue, space exploration). SoSE is more than systems engineering of complex systems because design for System-of-Systems problems is performed under some level of uncertainty in the requirements and the constituent systems, and it involves considerations in multiple levels and domains (as per Ref. 2 and 3).
System-of-Systems Engineering and Systems Engineering are related but different fields of study. Where as systems engineering addresses the development and operations of products, SoSE addresses the development and operations of programs. In other words, traditional systems engineering seeks to optimize an individual system (i.e., the product), while SoSE seeks to optimize network of various systems brought together to meet specific program's (i.e., the SoS problem's) objectives. SoSE enables deicision-makers to understand the implications of various choices; thus, SoSE methodology seeks to prepare the decision-makers for effective architecting of System-of-Systems problems (Ref. 8).
Due to varied methodology and areas of applications in existing literature, there is no unified consensus for processes involved in System-of-Systems Engineering. One of the proposed SoSE frameworks, by Dr. Daniel A. DeLaurentis, recommends a three-phase method where a SoS problem is defined (understood), abstracted, modeled and analyzed for behavioral patterns (Ref. 2). More information on this method and other proposed methods can be found in the listed SoSE focused organizations and SoSE literature in the subsequent sections.
[edit] Organizations
System of Systems Signature Area [1] at Purdue University's College of Engineering
National Centers for System of Systems Engineering [2]at Old Dominion University
Center for Intelligent Networked Systems [3] at Stevens Institute of Technology
System of Systems Engineering Center of Excellence [4]
[edit] References
- Kenneth Cureton, F. Stan Settlers, "System-of-Systems Architecting: Educational Findings and Implications," 2005 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Waikoloa, Hawaii, October 10-12, 2005. pp. 2726-2731.
- Daniel DeLaurentis, "Understanding Transportation as a System-of-Systems Design Problem," 43rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, Nevada, January 10-13, 2005. AIAA-2005-0123.
- Mo Jamshidi, "System-of-Systems Engineering - A Definition," IEEE SMC 2005, Big Island, Hawaii, URL: http://ieeesmc2005.unm.edu/SoSE_Defn.htm
- Charles Keating, Ralph Rogers, Resit Unal, David Dryer, et al. "System of Systems Engineering," Engineering Management Journal, Vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 36.
- Charles Keating, "Research Foundations for System of Systems Engineering," 2005 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Waikoloa, Hawaii, October 10-12, 2005. pp. 2720-2725.
- Jack Ring, Azad Madni, "Key Challenges and Opportunities in 'System of Systems' Engineering," 2005 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Waikoloa, Hawaii, October 10-12, 2005. pp. 973-978.
- Daniel DeLaurentis, Oleg Sindiy, William Stein, "Developing Sustainable Space Exploration via a System-of-Systems Approach," AIAA Space 2006 Conference, San Jose, CA.
