NIeWSLETTER October 1995 No.38 2Toocopies
Editor-in-Chief: Gerhard Chroust c/o Systemtechnik und Automation, Johannes Kepler University Linz,4O4O LinzlAustria, e-mail: [email protected], Tel:+43-732-2468-865, Fax:+43-732-2468-878
www-ho m e pa ge : http://www. sea. u n i -l i nz. ac. aVif s r/
IFSR.STRATEGY Dear fo:a[ers! Executive Committee Meeting, I am fiappy tfiat my p[elgefor more artk[ts fias 1eenfrui{utt Vienna I fiaae nou in ny fiks seaera[ good 'ttQw tren[' articks zafiicfr zuitt appear in duz course. lP[ease furp * - an[ more so On Sept. 22 and 23, 1995, the Executive - tfie realers of our fousktter informel of tfu [atut trenls, Committee (Bela H. Banaty, Michael Jackson conferencu and tfu tik,'Iftis zui[[ enabh me to prouile you and Gerhard Chroust) met in Vienna for their zuitfr anotfur A{,ews[etter in December. So [et's foep tfu yearly meeting. The state and future of IFSR infonnation fbuing anf mafo it a [iaing 6asis was intensively discussed and several important information e4gfiange. decisions made. ln the next Newsletter you will find a detailed summary together with the I uouff [ifo to point out to yoa again, tfint tfu implications on the future of IFSR. is ako auai[a6[e on IfSKs 'h]Wll-pagu. Ifu accus is ttia . The major outcome was to make the fittp : t / ururu. s e a. uni- [ira. a c. at / ift I structure of the IFSR much more dynamic. Qerfiarl Cftroust both Sys temtecfinifrun[ Automation This will' involve the cooperation of member organizations and their members to lofiannts t@p [zr'Uniaersittl Linz, 4040 Liru, Austria a much larger extent. ConanlllrTEEs OF THE IFSR . The new structure will be based on the committee structure( see at the left). The Executive Committee of the IFSR has established the following committees: . The Journal of Systems Research will be Strategic Program Design (Bela H. Banathy) much more integrated into IFSR's life. longlerm perspectives of the IFSR . Member organizations will be encouraged to Research Committee (Michael C. Jackson) cooperate more intensively with the IFSR. research projects Database (to be announced) . The member organizations will be challenged printed and electronic repositories to actively structure the IFSR. To this aim Publication Committee (Gerhard Chroust) there willbe a Strategy Meeting on Saturday, coordination of publications April 13, 1996 (after the EMCSR-Conference) Systems Education (Bela H. Banathy) where we will determine and structure the education, learning, Fuschl meetings future path for the IFSR. Funding development (Gerhard Chroust) contacts to potential sponsors I fsKuants /ou.r mntrifiution! Membership (to be announced) uou[d [ifo to epen[ tfu lQusfetter's as a contacts to potential members 'I,le function infornatbn qcAange, Ifierefore ue asfryou a Outreach (to be announced) for tu sfiort reports on re[eaant conferenus, meetings, relations with other organisations sen[ aflnounc4tflcnts conferencu, as ueff as reaizus Distinguished Advisory Board (Robert Trappl) of nait, e-nai[. strategic advice interatittg 6o0fu. /ou can reacfi w 6y fa4or E-naif suimksbrc are preferrelt 'lile promise a fairty sfiort tum-around time!, NEW TRENDS
lruronnaAfloN Baseo Desrcrrr or Socral SysrEMS B. Antal Banathy lnternational Systems lnstitute Saybrook lnstitute 38 Seca Place, Salinas, CA 93908 USA
meaningful existence for itself, the system How should go about designing social we reaches-out for informational clues that guide its systems information Let me in the age? replication. stimulate discussion with a metaphor that presents an unusual view of what a design As replication takes place, the components of should be, in informationalterms. A design is an the system organize themselves in such a way informationalcontainer in which life can organize that the functions (in the charter) are provided; itself. Our job as designers therefore is to build given the capabilities of the components, and such informational containers. the conditions present in the environment. So, the (partly) non-referential information in the three These containers are woven from charter is reborn in the referential informational different informational strands. The types of processes of the components. Only the really first must account for the system as it purposes (functions), and not the details of the information-as-action, we exists; this strand is rebirth are specified in the charter. This leaves referential The second will call it information plenty of room for creative dynamics. strand must convey some description of what the system is (or is to become); it takes the Nature's evolutionary pattern seems to be form of information-as-knowledge, we willcall it working in a way that makes both components non-referential information (Csanyi, 1989). and the environment to sources of change. How The third strand can be used to lend stability, do we humans cope with such change? There to impose a-priori conditions (state- is considerable evidence that at the earliest determination) on either or both of the previous stages of human evolution symbolic objects aspects; it is a means of control, we will call it were used to "control and guide" social behavior st ate - ref e re nt i a I i nf o rm ation (Banathy, 1 995). (Csanyi, 1989). Since that time we have been pedecting symbolic control. This is where state- To get an (over-simplified but) intuitive referential information comes into play, information types, understanding of the three culminating in the industrial-machine-age and its non- think of referential as experienced, bureaucracies. referential as observed, and state-referential as pre-planned information. Unfoftunately state-referential information cannot fully account for either non-referential or into play All three types of information come referential informational processes in living process in his during the of evolution. Csanyi, systems. Furthermore, non-referential infor- processes, study of evolutionary has found mation cannot fully account for referential syslems ample evidence suggesting that living informational processes (Rosen, 1991; Kampis, and creative way. evolve in a most dynamic 1991; B. A. Banathy, 1996). The informational Evolution takes place by continuous replication. strands of the container in which life can Replication is shaped by a charter (functional organize itself have very specific "containment" information) that is influenced by non-referential relationships to each other. information in the environment. The functional We should not be surprised by Vickers' (1983) information specifies what the system must do in remark that "Stability, even more than change, viable part "bigger order to remain a of the demands to be explained, aspired to and larger systems in which it scheme of things", the regulated." lf we try to hold living systems in a is contained. So, in order to secure purely state-referential containers, the creative dynamics will spill on the floor and create a (sub)system boundaries. This is the type of complete mess. This is where we are today. transformation that knowledge workers of the future will be expected to do. It seems to me that in social systems, "stability" lies in the creation (restoration) of competence The design community of today has in individual human beings, coupled with a considerable competence in the first area. The relaxation of the "brakes" on natural evolutionary second area draws benefit from both design and processes. The implication is that we should not traditional scientific communities. The third area force a system to become what we want it to be is related to the general human competence, (not even a brand new one). We should allow it with education. to evolve into what it can become. The differ- Banathy, B. A. (1995). The 21st Century Janus: the ence is vast. ln the first instance, our Three Faces of lnformation. System Res., in print. specifications form the upper limits of the system's behavior; this is the way we design Banathy, B. A. (1996). lnformation Based Design of computer based systems. ln the second Social Systems. Behav. Science, in print. instance, our specifications serve as the Banathy, B. H. (1989). The design of Evolutionary foundation upon which the system designs itself Guidance Systems, Sysfems - a privilege of being alive. Research, 6, 289-295. As designers we have three mandates, all Csanyi, V. (1989). Evolutionary Systems and relating to B. H. Banathy's (1989) notion of Society, London, Duke University Press. evolutionary guidance. First, we must ensure Kampis, G. (1991). Self-modifying Systems in that functional information (continually) is Biology and Cognitive Science, Oxford, Pergamon social articulated and accepted as the basis for Press. organization. Second, we must (continually) develop models that serve as guidance Rosen, R. (1991). Life ltself, New York, Columbia (templates) for organization. When appropriate, University Press. we should delegate the processes prescribed by Vickers. G. (1983). Human Systems are Different, these models to computer-based systems. London, Harper & Row Publishers. Finally, and most importantly, we must provide for healthy informational processes within organizations, where "health" hinges on non- referential to referential transformations at all
CorupurER BASED LARGE Scale Sysreus (CBLSS) Alexander Tschobokdji lnstitute of System Sciences Kepler University Linz, Austria
areas such as project-management, quality of Comparing systems management. former times with actual, modern systems, one The development of such complex systems can see that the new generates new kinds of requirements and generation of systems is implies new methods, process models and getting bigger and more strategies. Problems, neglected so far, suddenly complex, making the show up. development of those Looking at this kind of systems, a definition of systems more and more CBLSS would additionally match two other kinds expensive. This new kind of systems requires a of similar systems: (i) complex systems, whose larger amount of knowledge regarding the number of components is rather low though the different areas involved than was needed for internal connections are very complex and (ii) former systems. The software developers of large systems, which have big amount of former days have become system engineers, a components and mainly simple kind of who now have to face problems of adjacent a connections. The link between these kinds of general similar to known types of processes but systems can be seen in the following figure. differs considerably in important parts from the development of ,,normal" systems. Areas like documentation, information flow and security and safety of the system as well as the development process itself are of special impofiance. Unfofiunately little support for these areas exists at the moment. This deficit arises from the lack of understanding of the problems arising from the changed development process on the assumption that CBLSS still can be developed like,,normal" systems.
The term ,,computer based" refers to the fact that Nowadays CBLSS are getting more and more important functionality is based on computers important within technical applications. This (often up to 80%) and that this computer support ,,new" kind of systems requires a ,,new" kind of is not isolated but an integral part of the system. view, development, thinking and a ,,new" kind of engineering discipline matching exactly the Methods supporting the development of CBLSS requirements and problems of large complex must be able to integrate different areas of systems. knowledge within large systems. The resulting number of persons involved requires a method Thome B. (ed.): Systems Engineering - Principles and which can also be used in a globalway: to cover Practice of Computer-based Systems Engineeing.- a major part of the integrated specialties. To find Wiley Chichester-New York 1993 such a method which is universally applicable Tschobokdfi A., ,,Computer Based Large Scale and specializable and which also covers all kinds Systems - Systemwissenschaftliche Erfordernisse flr of complex systems, will remain unachievable. den Entwutl komplexer Systeme", Thesis, Kepler, However, some global methods combined with Linz 1995 specialized already exist. These integration ones White 5., et. al.: Systems Engineering of Computer- tendencies can also be found in the tools used. Based Systems.-IEEE Computer Nov. 1993, pp. 54- The development process resulting from the 65 application of new methods and tools is in
within other organizations which produce CorurenENcE Reponrs software as a subsidiary product. This improvement has to be based on a clear definition of the process via a so-called 'process EUROMICRO and ESPITI model'. At the same time it must be ensured that Sept. 7, 1995, Como (l) the defined process is provably followed and applied by everybody involved in the process. ln ESPlTl, the European Software Process the long run this leads to a certification of the lmprovement Training lnitiative is a Europe-wide software producing unit according to one of the effort sponsored by the European Commission. cerlification models (e.g. 1SO9000, BOOT- It aims at raising the awareness for high quality STRAP, TICKIT, CMM). software by improvilig the'software process', i.e. process by improving the way software is developed. A key for ensuring conformance to the is an automatic supporUcontrol of the process via a computer. The initiative concentrates on the software Under the ESPITI-program (lasting till May 1996) production process and meetings, workshops and training courses will its improvement in allso- be conducted in all European countries. called 'software producing units'. The For details contact Gerhard Chroust term includes software houses and departments EUROCAST.gs Systems Technology, an important branch of applied computer science. CAST not only covers An Austro-Canarian Collaboration theoretical research but it also concerned with 4 months'ago in lnnsbruck (the capital of the the construction of computer based systems in Tyrol) an important event took place: practice, such as checking of air pollution, EUROCAST 95, the 5th lnt'|. Conference on control of robots, geographical information Computer Aided Systems Technology. This systems, image processing, (automatic) conference series was staded in February 1989 detection of failures in leather, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. These chemotherapeutical protocols, diagnosis in conferences takes place every Znd year, medicine, simulation of nuclear power plants, alternately in Las Palmas and in an Austrian scheduling of radiotaxis, designing of computer City. The center of interest is located in Europe. chips, and others. EUROCAST can be considered as a prototype The next conference (EUROCAST-97) will again for an Austro-Canarian collaboration which be organized in Las Palmas by the Centro brings together researchers from the European lnternacional de lnvestigacion en Ciencias de la Community. This year Spain had the largest Computacion and the Faculty of Computer group of participants (36), followed by Germany Science of the University of Las Palmas. Prof. and Austria. Further contributors came from Roberto Moreno-Diaz will be the general Italy, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Sweden, chairman, Prof. Franz Pichler, University Linz, Portugal, USA, Czech Bepublic, Poland, will be the Programme Chairman. Venezuela and Ecuador. Werner De Pau li- Sch i manovic h lnternationally renowned and outstanding scientists presented papers on Computer Aided
and advancing methodologies and techniques CorurenENcE At ttrtoutrtcEMENTs for the engineering of computer based systems (ECBS). For contacts, etc. see Calendar of Events. This emerging discipline is devoted to design, 1996 IEEE lnt. Conference on development, deployment, and analysis of Systems, Man and Cybernetics complex systems comprising heterogeneous, lnformation, lntelligence and Systems distributed, software, hardware, communication, October 14-17,1996 and other components. lt aims at integrating Tsinghua University, Beijing, China systems engineering and engineering fields like software, electronics or communications into a The conference will cover large range of a total engineering discipline. topics. For systems sciences the following of its topics seem to be of prime relevance: Decision Technologies, Cognitive Systems and Sth Bi-Annual Conference of the Engineering, Artificial lntelligence, Adaptive and Learning Systems, Knowledge-based Systems, lnternational Society for the Biocybernetics, Biomedical Engineering, Pertur- Empirical Study of Literature bation Analysis, lnternational Stability, Environ- August 21 -26, 1 996 mental Systems, Socio-economical Systems. University of Alberta, Banff, Alberta, Canada THEORY - The theory and epistemology of the ECB5'96 Systemic and Empirical Study of Literature IEEE Symposium and Workshop METHODOLOGY Development and 'Engineering of Computer Based justification of methods in the systemic and Systems' empirical study of literature March 11-15, 1996 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH - Creative processes: Friedrichshafen, Germany reading, comprehension, memory, affective components and literature The symposium is the ninth in a series of international meetings dedicated on formulating News FRoM rne Boor MRRrer Chaos and the Evolving Ecological Universe A Science of Generic Design Sally J. Goerner John N. Warfield The Gordon and Breach Publishing Group This book demonstrates how large systems work 1994 .272pp, ISBN 2-88124-635-4 . $431 [281. in organizational or societal settings and how their performance might he improved with regard The Evolving Mind to explicit human objectives. This detailed text Ben Goeftzel focuses on sociotechnical systems, in which 1 993, 280pp qualitative factors (such as social mores and The Gordon and Breach Publishing Group human values) weigh heavily on determinations lsBN 2-88124-587-0. $351 [231 of successful pedormance, rather than on technological systems susceptible to more con- The Evolution of Cognitive Maps, New ventional quantitative measures of performance. Paradigms for the 21st Century The techniques discussed here have been Ervin Laszlo, lgnazio Masulli (eds.) employed in the analysis of agricultural pro- The Gordon and Breach Publishing Group, duction systems, economic development 1993,288pp. programs, industrial corporations, and organized lsBN 2-8812-4559-5 .5751 C401 public-health efforts.
News News from f rom the the IFSR IFSR
peculiar to our present complex age. He often Fnou ouR MeMeeR Socrenes managed to do this with great wit and charm. DT. HANEEF AKHTAR FATMI t ln addition, Dr. Fatmi was a linguistic scholar having obtained B.A. degree in Arabic * and a 3rd July 1933, t 4th April 1995 Studies in 1985, was able to produce a new Holy which was Haneef Fatmi was a man of exceptional and English translation of the Qoran published wide-spread intellectual talents. Born at Berusia, before he died. a small town in Bhopal State in 1933, he However, it was during his sojourn at the former obtained his first degree in Electrical Engineering Chelsea College at the University of London, in 1951 at Karachi University. He subsequently that he both founded the Cybernetics Society studied with two Nobel Laureates at lmperial (London), a registered friendly society, and College London: Professor Denis Gabor FRS, inaugurated the University of London Master of the discoverer of holography and Professor Science course in cybernetics. These were no Abdul Salem FRS, the theoretical physicist and mean feats, as cybernetics requires an cosmologist. His doctorial thesis was concerned understanding of the functions of both with the physics of ionised gases. 'information and control in the machine, animal, ambitious He was also a barrister being a member of both and human being'. This very the Lincoln's lnn and the lnner Temple. His training undertaking did not fit conveniently into as a lawyer and as a scientist endowed him with faculty structure of any university. the necessary skills to succeed and bring The acceptance and subsequent success of the enlightenment in novel and diverse areas M.Sc. course was the result of his carefully prepared and defended proposals made to several expert committees in the University. His various post masters degree and post doctoral WHAT,S NEW IN students have also achieved great influence both ..SYSTEMS occupying chairs in academia and by pursuing, RESEARCH"? for example, the engineering of optical fiber The quarterly Sysfems Research, the official telecommu nication systems. journal of the IFSR, is published by John Wiley Dr. Fatmi's wide interests in human culture, and Sons. Papers for publication and philosophy, and the structure of logic led to an subscription requests should be sent to: intriguing series of letters to the journal Nature Professor M.C. Jackson on the subject of intelligence in the intellectual U niversity of H u mberside sense rather than the security sense! He and his Cottingham Road collaborator R.W. Young established a working HulL HUO 7RT, United Kingdom definition of intelligence as "that faculty of mind tel: +44 1482 440550 Ext.3720 by which order is perceived in a situation hitherto fax: +44 1482 445715 considered to be disordered": a definition quoted Contents of vol. 12, no.3 (September 1995): in the Oxford Companion to the Mind. Expanding the Horizon of lnformation Systems Haneef took a great interest in understanding Design, J.D.R. de Raadt and developing the works of the Russian mathematician A. Kolmogorov. ln a most Developing a Family Declaration of lnterdependence: A Methology for Systems prophetic way he demonstrated aspects of Kolmogorov's work which predated the Design within a SmallSocial Unit, mathematical form of the current and highly Gordon Dyer successful neural network analysis. Systbms Definitions and Derivation Based on Structural Data Flow Modelling, ln recent years he made a notable contribution Taher A. Razik and James W. Jacobs jr. within King's College London on the Strand, by organizing meetings addressed by Nobel Only Connect! An Annotated Bibliography Laureates and Fellows of the Royal Society on a Reflecting the Breadth and Diversity of wide variety of subjects within the cybernetics Systems Thinking, domain. David C. Lane and Mike C. Jackson His untimely and unexpected death, after a shott lAs in Academy: Learning to be Systemic, illness is particularly ironic, when in this post Richard Bawden specialist age the ideals of the professional Combining Hard, Soft and Critical Methodologies cybernetician are more in demand than ever. Dr. in Systems Research: The Cultural Fatmi's gift was good sense balance a of Constraints, between justice, spiritual and philosophical John Brocklesby and Stephen Cummings knowledge and physical (scientific) knowledge. Future volumes: Haneef is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons, daughter-in-law and grand children. Volume 12.4 is a special issue edited by Bela Banathy, Kenneth Boulding. Kenneth Brian Warburton on Boulding, as well as being one of the pioneers of put his IFSR goes WVVW! systems thinking, constantly sought to ideas into practice : most notably as a peace ln the last few months we have set up a World campaigner. Wide Web server with information about the previously IFSR. You can reach the home page by URL: This special issue features a paper hlmself, .sea.uni-linz.ac.aUifsr/ unpublished by Kenneth Boulding on 'Education in the World System': contributions from Banathy, Boulding, Churchman, Henderson and Hammond, and a full listing of Boulding's IMPRESSUM: Mediuminhaber, Herausgeber, Satz und publications. Layout: Int. Federation for Systems Research. Volume 13. 1 of Systems Research is expected Fiir den Inhalt verantwortlich: Prof. G. Chroust, Johannes to contain papers by Ackoff, Snow, and Leach, Kepler Universitiit Linz. 4040 Linz, Druck: Druckerei Bad Tsouvalis and Checkland, Uphoff, and Warfield Leonfelden Ges.mb.H. & Co. KG, Bad Leonfelden. -A and Staley. NSMTSLETTeR
Calendar of Events
Title Date and Place Further lnlormation
3roupware in Mechanical Engineering Jan 28-Feb.2, 1996, P. Grunbacher, Kepler Univ. Linz,
ECBS-96: lnt'l IEEE Symposium anc March 1 1-15, 1996, Marcus Voss, Univ. of Karlsruhe, lMA, D- Workshop on Engineering of Computrer Friedrichshafen, Germany 76'131 Karlsruhe, tel: +49 721 608-4378, Based Systems email:mvoss @ ira.uka.de, CfP: expired
www: http://i50s1 f . ira.uka.de/ecbs96. html lnt. Symposium and Workshop or March 1 1-15, 1996 G. Schweizer, Univ. Karlsruhe, lMA, Haid- Engineering of Computer Based Systems rnd-Neu.StraBe 7, D-7 61 31 Karlsruhe,
UVWW: http://i50s 1 9. i ra. uka.de/ecbs96. html FP: Jan 15. 1996:
'Constructing Persons' - A joint Conference April 1-5, 1996, Urbino, ltaly Marcelo Pakman of the American Society of Cybernetics and the Faculty of Sociology at the University ol 3fP: expired el:(413) 594-2211 Urbino
13th European Meeting on Cybernetics and Apr. 9-12, 1996, Vienna, R. Trappl, Dept. of Med. Cybernetics & Al, Systems Research, Vienna Austria Univ. of Vienna, Freyung 6/2, A-1010 Vienna, Austria, tel: +43-1-53532810, fax:
IFSR Strategic Meeting April 13, 1996, morning open only to IFSR member societies! y'ienna details to be announced
Fuschl-Talks 1996 Apr. 14-19, 1996, Fuschl, B. Banathy, 25781 Morse Dr., CARMEL, CA Austria 93923, USA, email: [email protected]
ICCHP 1996: lnternational Conference on July 16-19, 1996, Linz Austrian Computer Society, Wollzeile 1-3, A- Computers for Handicapped Persons {ustria 1010 Wien, tel: +43 1 512 02 35, e-mail: oco @vm.univie.ac.at sth Bi-Annual Conference of the August 21 - 26,1996, Steven T6tdsy de Zepetnel, Res. lnst. for lnternational Society lor the Empirical Comparative Literature, Univ. of Alberta, Banff, Alberta, Canada. Study of Literature Edmonton, Alberta Canada TOG 2EG , tel : 403-492 -477 6: lax: 403- 492-5662;
1996 IEEE lnt. Conference on Oct.'14-17, 1996 Beijing Prof. Jian Chen, School of Economics and Systems, Man and Cybernetics: (China) Management, Tsinghua Univ., Beijing 'lnformation, lntelligence and Systems 100084, China, tel. (8610)2595876, fax: CfA: Jan 15, 1996 (8610) 2s61s32