Design and Control of Self-organizing Systems: Facing Complexity with Adaptation and Self-organization

✍ Scribed by Carlos Gershenson

• Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 188
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Complex systems are usually difficult to design and control. There are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there is no general approach to build complex systems. In this book I propose a methodology to aid engineers in the design and control of complex systems. This is based on the description of systems as self-organizing. Starting from the agent metaphor, the methodology proposes a conceptual framework and a series of steps to follow to find proper mechanisms that will promote elements to find solutions by actively interacting among themselves. A general introduction to complex thinking is given, while practical notions of complexity and self-organization are put forward. To illustrate the methodology, I present three case studies. Self- organizing traffic light controllers are proposed and studied with multi-agent simulations, outperforming traditional methods. Methods for improving communication within self-organizing bureaucracies are advanced. Finally, requirements for self- organizing artifacts in an ambient intelligence scenario are discussed. Philosophical implications of the conceptual framework are also put forward.

✦ Table of Contents

Abstract......Page 3
Contents......Page 5
List of Figures......Page 8
List of Tables......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 11
Introduction......Page 13
Motivation......Page 14
Contributions......Page 15
Outline......Page 16
How to Read this Book......Page 17
How the Book Was Written......Page 18
Complexity......Page 21
Classical Thinking......Page 22
Complexity......Page 23
Indeterminacy......Page 26
Nonlinearity and Chaos......Page 29
Adapting to Complexity......Page 31
Conclusions......Page 33
Self-organization......Page 35
The Representation-Dependent Dynamics of Entropy......Page 36
The Role of the Observer......Page 41
Ontological Issues......Page 42
Self-organization: A Practical Notion......Page 44
Artificial self-organizing systems......Page 45
Coping with the unknown......Page 46
Conclusions......Page 47
A General Methodology......Page 49
The Conceptual Framework......Page 50
Representation......Page 56
Modeling......Page 58
Simulation......Page 65
Application......Page 66
Notes on the Methodology......Page 67
Discussion......Page 69
Conclusions......Page 72
Self-organizing Traffic Lights......Page 75
Introduction......Page 76
Applying the Methodology I......Page 77
Experiments: First Results......Page 83
Applying the Methodology II......Page 90
Experiments: Second Results......Page 91
Applying the Methodology III......Page 96
Experiments: Third Results......Page 98
Applying the Methodology IV......Page 99
Discussion......Page 100
Adaptation or optimization?......Page 101
Practicalities......Page 102
Environmental benefits......Page 103
Unattended issues......Page 104
Conclusions......Page 105
Self-organizing Bureaucracies......Page 109
Introduction......Page 110
Designing Self-organizing Bureaucracies......Page 111
The Role of Communication......Page 114
Decision Delays......Page 117
The Role of Sensors......Page 118
The Role of Hierarchies......Page 120
The Role of Context......Page 122
A Toy Model: Random Agent Networks......Page 123
Using self-organization to improve performance......Page 125
Simulation Results......Page 126
RAN Discussion......Page 129
Conclusions......Page 137
Self-organizing Artifacts......Page 139
A Scenario......Page 140
Requirements for self-organizing artifacts......Page 141
Achieving self-organization......Page 143
Learning to communicate......Page 144
Learning to cooperate......Page 145
Learning to coordinate......Page 147
Conclusions......Page 149
Conclusions......Page 151
Achievements......Page 152
Limitations......Page 153
Future Work......Page 154
Objectivity or Subjectivity? Contextuality!......Page 156
The Benefits of Self-organization......Page 157
Bibliography......Page 159
Glossary......Page 181
Index......Page 185