Complexity Science and Design

What is complexity governance and how can this be implemented in a world complexity observatories grid?

by Andrés Ginestet

What is complexity governance and how can this be implemented in a world complexity observatories grid?
more What is complexity governance and how can this be implemented in a world complexity observatories grid?

Complexity governance is the governance of any human
relation (complexity pattern) on a peer-to-peer (complexity expression) level.

This peer-to-peer relationship gets massively monitored and deformed by the influence of the system of violence. The system of violence is based on trauma and its effects on human behavior. Trauma is automatically regulated and activated within
society by the system of violence, as a complex system. As humans do not regulate voluntarily their complexity, nature cares for the regulation of human complexity by the means of the violence system. Nature regulates human complexity for the sake of the balance of all natural systems. This interest is not contrary but also not in favor of human species.

First priority in order to take over control of this natural function is to behave as to reduce trauma influence on human social construction worldwide (complexity symptom caused by complexity patterns). Consequently, human beings need to start
regulating their complexity at the same speed at which they reduce trauma rates. In order to achieve the goal of reducing the influence of violence on society, trauma needs to be driven below the necessary critical level leading to war. The necessary
critical level is defined in clinical/medical terms. The estimate is that this level is 30% of traumatic experience and epigenetic aberration in any human population. How can we best attain this goal? Establishing a grid of complexity governance run by civil population, by normal citizens, because they are the complexity producers.

For this purpose, people will have to be trained. The training will follow a guidance described in 7 steps1. Every citizen on the planet will have the possibility to undergo complexity governance training within the next 50 years. Volunteers are on their way, and this is a very natural procedure in civil society. The situation is different for state forces like Military and police. They would like to be involved and encouraged to be the first training in complexity governance. Their job is to maintain security and to reduce violence world wide, and their role will have to be enforced by law because they act within institutions. They are in fact the first ones who need and wish to take on the mission and lead a war against the violence system, systematically and with full conviction. But, they need to redefine their enemy as defined by laws that are not yet designed for this purpose. For this reason, legal systems defining democracy need to incorporate the understanding for the existing violence system as a system, as to back up state forces mission. This can be done in agreement with Global Civil Society, if citizens take on their responsibility in the process.

Complexity and Information: Measuring Emergence, Self-organization, and Homeostasis at Multiple Scales

by Nelson Fernández

Co-authored with Carlos Gershenson. Submitted to Complexity.

Concepts used in the scientific study of complex systems have become so widespread that their use and abuse has led to... more Concepts used in the scientific study of complex systems have become so widespread that their use and abuse has led to ambiguity and confusion in their meaning. In this paper we use information theory to provide abstract and concise measures of complexity, emergence, self-organization, and homeostasis. The purpose is to clarify the meaning of these concepts with the aid of the proposed formal measures. In a simplified version of the measures (focussing on the information produced by a system), emergence becomes the opposite of self-organization, while complexity represents their balance. We use computational experiments on random Boolean networks and elementary cellular automata to illustrate our measures at multiple scales.

UK National Health Service information systems implementation: Emergence of and in informal groups

by Amila S. Wilegoda-Wickramage

Inquiry on the Expected Synergy between the: Quatro-Construct Reducing Trauma, Enhancing Empathy, Guiding Epigenetics, Governing Complexity and Triad Generosity - Creativity - Solidarity

by Andrés Ginestet

This document illustrates how complexity theory linked to the violence theory of Andrés Ginestet is being integrated into general research

Generosity is supposed to be a related deeper turning point. An equivalent type of statement may be referred to... more Generosity is supposed to be a related deeper turning point. An equivalent type of statement may be referred to solidarity. Homo Sapiens, as a species, are distinguished clearly from other species by their socio-cultural nature, drawing on a deep inner universe of cultural meanings and values which inform both individual and group behaviors. These meanings are created phenomenologically in the gestalt of consciousness, framed in the context of deep value-systems which shift as a result of psychological, biological (and existential) realities. Recent research has begun to uncover the complex waves and patterns associated with these shifts. They indicate a dynamically stable system which underpins human activity at the level of both the individual and the civilization. In this context, technology is a materialization of the culture of our civilization and its material nature as a cultural meaning needs exploration and understanding. On in this way can we begin to understand the trajectory (or multiple trajectories) of our current civilization, with all its new connectivities and disconnectivities mediated as they are through information and other technologies.

Student perceptions of the higher education transfer process from two-year to four-year institutions: A qualitative study viewed through the lenses of student departure, social network, and complexity theories

by Kevin Kelly

Doctoral dissertation, University of San Francisco, 2009 - published as a free and open document - do not pay for it!

This qualitative study explored higher education transfer student perceptions of (a) the transfer process between two-... more This qualitative study explored higher education transfer student perceptions of (a) the transfer process between two- and four-year institutions, (b) social network influences on their decisions to stay in higher education, (c) the role of technology in the process, and (d) organizational policies and practices that might influence the process. This study used student departure, social network, and complexity theories to describe the higher education transfer student experience from a holistic viewpoint. The researcher conducted interviews with thirteen higher education transfer students from two- and four-year institutions located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eight of the thirteen participants belonged to historically underrepresented ethnicity populations. The researcher asked the participants to describe and analyze their experiences and decisions during the transfer process, and influences that came from their background and from external environments. The participants perceived that they themselves had the greatest influence on their decisions to stay in higher education, but also perceived external influences. The participants relied on different people in their personal networks to achieve various levels of academic and social integration, respectively. Participants perceived great value in using technology for transfer purposes, such as electronic portfolios and social network sites, but sometimes preferred human interaction. Diversity and encouragement emerged as important themes. Social network and complexity theories enhanced and reconceptualized the concepts portrayed in Tinto's (1993) longitudinal model of student departure. Tinto's model comprised only part of a much larger fractal pattern of the overall transfer-related phase transition. New initial conditions existed every time the pattern repeated at a smaller scale over time (e.g., every year, every decision). Certain pre-entry attributes parents' educational experiences and the participants' prior schooling---were also phase transitions, not static historical constants. Participants sought or sought to be strange attractors---influences that could break them or others from repetitive, linear patterns. Recommendations were made for higher education transfer students and administrators at higher education institutions. Recommendations for future research included calls for further investigation of higher education transfer students who dropped out, barriers for historically underrepresented ethnicity populations, and case studies of inter-institutional programs that use electronic portfolios for transfer purposes.

Comparing the Complexity of Two Network Architectures

by Olivier Zheng

MSc dissertation written under the supervision of Dr Basu and Mr Behringer

A Service Provider has different methods to provide a VPN service to its customers. To do it, the Service Provider can... more A Service Provider has different methods to provide a VPN service to its customers. To do it, the Service Provider can choose, for example, to implement a solution based on MPLS using LSPs or it can choose to implement a solution based on MPLS over L2TPv3. But which method is the less complex to implement? In this dissertation, these 2 architectures are described, and analysed on the architecture point of view and the configuration point of view. Based on the analysis, 2 methods of complexity calculation are designed to evaluate the complexity of each architecture: the first method evaluate the resources consumption, the second evaluate the number of cases possible. From the first method, it shows that the complexity is depending on the product of the number of customer and the number of prefixes per customer, and it also depends on the number of P router. From the second method, it shows that below 64% of PE routers in the network, MPLS over L2TPv3 should be preferred; but above 64%, MPLS using LSPs is better.

La publicidad como sistema complejo y su incidencia en una semiótica productiva

by Antonio Caro

Texto de la ponencia al VII Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Internacional de Estudios Semióticos (IASS), Dresde, octubre de 1999.

Towards a Method for Service Design

by Olga Levina

Services are the vital part of a service-oriented architecture. Their development and design are essential parts of... more Services are the vital part of a service-oriented architecture. Their development and design are essential parts of the development and implementation of a service-oriented architecture. Thus, numerous approaches in research and practice exist that refer to different aspects of service design. These are focused on specific needs or aspects in service design. According to the literature review provided in this paper, no single service design approach covers all the aspects that are needed for the implementation and deployment of a service-oriented architecture. Beside the literature review this paper provides a service design approach that combines the existing methods and approaches. The goal is its further development towards a service design method for service design in research and industry.

Mekansal Okunabilirlik Kavramının Çözümlenmesi (Analysing the Concept of Spatial Legibility)

by Emine Koseoglu

Paper in Turkish

Authors: Emine Koseoglu and Deniz Erinsel Onder
Yapı Journal, June 2010, Issue 343, pp.52-56.

Abstract

When the concept of spatial legibility is defined as an observation, seeing, understanding,... more Abstract

When the concept of spatial legibility is defined as an observation, seeing, understanding, analysis or evaluation, it becomes possible to speak of as many readings or methods as there are dimensions or directions in the space or urban space. Yet spatial legibility differs from the concept of reading. The concept of legibility occurs as one of the principles of urban design in literature on the subject.

Many researchers give a definition of legibility, and the principle source they cite is Kevin Lynch, who defines legibility as follows: “Legibility means the possibility of organising an environment within a noticeable and consistent texture.” According to Lynch, the easier it is to form a mental image of an environment, the easier it is to read. Other researchers have defined ¬legibility as a concept that provides a meaning which helps to create and give direction to a mental map, and points to the characteristics of a large-scale environment. Reading an environment is a process that evolves with the obtaining of spatial information from the environment concerned, and by mentally processing that information using it in a way appropriate to its purpose. Two components play a part in the process of obtaining spatial information: the characteristics of the space and the characteristics of the observer. The observer’s perception and understanding of the characteristics of a space occurs as a result of spatial-psychological processes that happen in the mind. These processes are influenced by the personal characteristics of the observer. At the same time legibility is influenced by spatial characteristics. Whether a space is legible depends on the plan layout in the second dimension and its complexity, and whether the architectural components in the third dimension are discernible.

Literature on the subject contains many concepts that define legible environments: simple, consistent, understandable, perceivable, organisable, etc. All these concepts point to characteristics deriving from the structure of the space. However, it is impossible to measure legibility by these concepts. For this reason the model discussed in this article uses two variables to devise a definition based on characteristics deriving from space: 1. the complexity of spatial layout and 2. the definability of sign elements. The complexity of spatial layout describes the two-dimensional information about a space, while the definability of sign elements describes the three-dimensional information about a space. These two variables are also the elements of spatial information used while finding direction.

On constructing a research model for historical cognitive linguistics (HCL): Some theoretical considerations

by Roslyn Frank

Full citation reference:

Frank, Roslyn M. & Nathalie Gontier. 2010 "On constructing a research model for historical cognitive linguistics (HCL): Some theoretical considerations." In Winter, M.E., Tissari, H. & Allan, K. (eds). Historical cognitive linguistics, pp. 31-69. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. (Book series: Cognitive Linguistics Research, nr 47)

This paper is the uncorrected proof.

This paper examines how historical cognitive linguistics can benefit methodologically through the application of the... more This paper examines how historical cognitive linguistics can benefit methodologically through the application of the notion of language as a complex adaptive system. The idea that languages are complex adaptive systems (CAS) was introduced initially in computational evolutionary linguistics, a discipline that was and remains inspired by biological, systems theoretical approaches to the evolution of life. Here the way that the CAS approach serves to replace older historical linguistic notions of languages as organisms and languages as species is explained as well as how the CAS approach can be generalized to encompass linguistic domains. Specifically, an overview of the CAS approach and its implementation in linguistics is provided with an emphasis on stigmergic, embodied, usage-based and socio-culturally situated language studies in particular.

Keywords: complex adaptive systems, evolutionary linguistics, historical and computational linguistics, language evolution, stigmergy, social cognitive linguistics, distributed and situated cognition, genes/ memes/linguemes, usage-based models

"The Icon as a Problem in Cognition and Social Construction: Complexity and Consensual Domains in Technical Rhetoric."

by Martin E. Rosenberg

M. Jimmie Killingsworth and Martin E. Rosenberg. _IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication_ Volume 38 Number 4; December 1995, 216-227. ISSN: 0361-1434

Abstract:
This paper suggests that current theories about how even the
simplest elements of graphical... more Abstract:
This paper suggests that current theories about how even the
simplest elements of graphical design function in professional
communication do not adequately convey the complexity of the element's actual role in communication. By showing how producers of computer interfaces rely on the possibility of multiple interpretive trajectories in the use of any sign and how users of such signs respond in ways that are far from being totally predictable, we argue that it is best to think of the communication act not as a simple exchange of information between the two minds (producer and user) but rather as a field of possibilities that requires flexibility and an experimental attitude from both the producer and the user. Examining theoretical developments in the history of physics and cognitive science, we contend that the dominant paradigms of understanding communication - the old cognitive (or computational) model and the social constructionist model as currently employed in the fields of composition and technical communication - fall short of accounting for even fairly straightforward exchanges of information. In place of the communication triangle that both of the old models rely upon, we offer a new model that uses the concept of "consensual domains" as the basis for a general theory of rhetoric. As a starting point for our investigation, we present the history of a still evolving sign - the trash can icon in the user interface of the Macintosh operating system - from the perspective of a single (also still evolving) human user.

Complexity study - Call for interest – Academic package

by David MARTIN

The WCF ( www.wcforum.org ) is proud to present, through the partnerships with Ontonix, it’s academic package :

Our partner, Ontonix ( www.ontonix.com ) through the WCF propose a full academic package to universities interested to use their complexity technology and methodology for new or existing cases study.

The package enclose :

- 80% rebate on the license price
- Free training
- Participation to research, thesis and papers
-                    And more ...

Case studies have already started within the following sectors :

- Treatment of vegetable biomasses
- Rock Blasting
- Heart failure
- Cerebral Aneurysms
- Project Management
- Engineering
- Supply chain
- Business Process Management
- Portfolio Management

The following universities are already working with the WCF and Ontonix :

- ETHZ in Zurich, Switzerland
- ZHAW in Winterthur, Switzerland
- Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- University of São Paulo, Brazil
- The Capital University of Business and Economics, China
- University of Pretoria, South Africa
- SAICA, South Africa
- US Army Institute of Medical Research, United States
- University of Michigan Health System, United States

In case of Interest, feel free to contact me directly.

WCF
David MARTIN
dmartin@wcforum.org

BLASTING FRAGMENTATION MANAGEMENT USING COMPLEXITY ANALYSIS

by David MARTIN

Rock fragmentation due to blasting operations is the key result of aggregates and ore mining activity before plant treatment. It has been observed in many case studies (e.g. Sastry & Chandar 2004, Ryu et al. 2009, Clerici & Mancini et al. 1974) that power consumption of loading machineries and crushers operating on the site and of primary crusher operating on the plant depends on the ratio of desired fragmentation obtained from the blast. On the other side, a lower ratio of fragmentation decreases the primary blasting costs (Ryu et al.).

Poor fragmentation results lead to (Bozic 1998, Sastry & Chandar 2004, Ryu et al. 2009, Clerici & Mancini et al. 1974):

- increased secondary blasting
- increased rate of muck shovel loading
- increased difficulty in transport
- increased energy consumption at crushing or milling
- low crusher or mill performances

On the other hand, when operating on fragmentation results in order to reduce secondary blast or other kind of secondary fragmentation before crushing, primary blast costs and drilling costs increase (Ryu et al. 2009), making the efficiency of the mine site workings decrease.

When secondary blasting is avoided or reduced to its minimum in order to increase mine site working efficiency, the amount of cost related to the reduction of dimension of blocks is transferred to crushing or milling, reducing its efficiency and increasing its costs.

McKenzie’s study (1967) is nowadays a classical analysis that showed how loading, hauling and crushing costs decreased with increasing rock fragmentation while drilling and blasting costs increased with increasing rock fragmentation.

The requirement of both efficiency and cost has to be properly managed.

This research intends to analyse mining operations and plant crushing and find an appropriate way to obtain a high constancy in blast fragmentation results under highly variable environment, improving the robustness of blast fragmentation models and to set a robust method to design the blast in order to grant the productivity of the crushing/milling process.

The present paper is the first stage of this ongoing research.