Large-scale Complex System and Systems of Systems

With the growing maturity of information and communication technologies, systems have been interconnected within growing networks, yielding new services through a combination of the system functionalities. This leads to an increasing complexity that has to be managed in order to take advantage of these system integrations. This book provides key answers as to how such systems of systems can be engineered and how their complexity can be mastered.

After reviewing some definitions on systems of systems engineering, the book focuses on concrete applications and offers a survey of the activities and techniques that allow engineering of complex systems and systems of systems. Case studies, ranging from emergency situations such as Hurricane Katrina and its crisis management or a generic scenario of a major traffic accident and its emergency response, to the establishment of a scientific basis in the Antarctic region illustrate key factors of success and traps to avoid in order to cope with such situations.

Dominique Luzeaux has been employed by the French Ministry of Defense for over 20 years. He was Director of the Complex System Engineering Department from 2002 to 2004, and Chief Information Officer from 2005 to 2007. He is currently Director for Land Systems acquisition. He has written over 60 articles in international conferences and journals, and teaches robotics, theoretical computer science and system engineering at graduate level. He has co-authored a book on nanotechnology and microsystems, as well as books on systems of systems.

Jean-René Ruault was hired in 2004 by the French Ministry of Defense as an expert in systems engineering, standardization and human factors. He has published several articles on systems engineering and human-computer interactions, and was co-chairman of the ERGO-IA'06 conference as well as co-authoring books on systems of systems.

Jean-Luc Wippler has worked as a systems architect for over 20 years in fields such as defense systems, spatial systems, intelligence, and air traffic management. He has also been teaching systems engineering at graduate level for many years.