Does anyone really understand how fast the world is changing? Just think about this paradox: virtually all of the data created to date on earth can now be modeled and analyzed, but more than half of all the data created from physical or operational systems today loses any value that can derived through analysis in minutes.
Today we are creating data at a faster rate than we are building and deploying bandwidth. And if anyone is wondering how fast we are moving towards truly distributed systems and intelligence, then consider that there is more processing power in smart phones and devices than in all the servers and storage devices in data centers on the earth today.
As networks have invaded the “physical” world, system and solution designers are seeing the new values that come from the growing and abundant interactions between sensors, machines, systems and people. Electronic, mechanical and other related systems and software that used to have unique physical interfaces and components are now becoming standardized and part of a larger set of “horizontal” system technologies.
These combinatorial innovations are what we call “complex adaptive systems” or “system of systems,” where multiple technologies converge and reinforce one another. A Smart System of Systems is an arrangement of independently operated systems that allow for collaborative interactions among them, giving rise to emerging capabilities and values while maintaining each of the individual system’s own capabilities and values.