01.26.12
Complex Structures
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Every structure in the Universe is complex and perfect. Some believe that it took billions of years for this complexity to develop and become so perfect. Some believe that a perfect master architect is responsible for the creation of the Universe. Either way, what chance does IT have when they produce a complex system? There are certainly no perfect system architects and we don’t have billions of years to test. There must be some other way to deliver complex systems.
There is another way. It is based on the idea that complex systems are the result of combining components and composite components to create complex systems. By using components that have been proven through testing and usage, there is some hope for building complex systems.
Architects often describe complex computing systems in layers. At the base is the operating system, a composite component of other components that manage system resources. At the next layer, in large systems there is usually an infrastructure of components to support data storage, messaging, business services, and scheduling. Applications are then built upon the infrastructure.
With all of these layers, each one being a composite of components, it is almost unbelievable that anything actually works. It also appears that building complex structures has been resolved by building layers of technology. The layers will not be tested over billions of years, but they will have billions of transactional usage to prove their reliability. When problems do occur, the not-so-perfect architects will analyze the situation and apply modifications to make the system more perfect.
All of this sounds as though the complex structures challenge in developing large information technology systems has been solved. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The demand for systems to be developed and delivered sooner than they can be fully tested is always the problem. It often results in the use of duct-tape solutions to meet deadlines.
The real answer is to collect the knowledge that defines the complex structure’s data and processes in a machine-readable form. By doing this, a complex structure can be validated by analyzing the axiomatic description for any erroneous outcomes. This may sound like some mathematician’s pipe dream, but it is slowly becoming a reality.
Industries such as medical research are finding that the complexity of information can be recorded using ontology languages and used directly in computer systems. Some of these applications will be presented at this year’s Ontology Summit with the theme “Big Systems”. This is the seventh annual summit.
At Ontology Summit 2012 there are four tracks: Large-scale systems engineering, Large-scale engineered systems, Challenge: ontology and big data, and Large-scale domain applications. Each of these tracks will address the complexity of information systems.
There is hope for delivering complex systems. We may be able to shorten the creation path by building upon the science of ontology. We may be able to move towards a perfect architecture by utilizing the “wisdom of the crowd” as knowledge is recorded for reuse. The kind of crowd gathering to attend the Ontology Summit 2012 is an excellent beginning.
Enterprise Architects are well-aware of the continuing evolution of technology. They creatively look for technology convergence that can provide breakthroughs in thinking. We are at one of those convergent junctions today. What is about to happen will give non-professional information technologists control of their use of automation in their business. No longer will they simply peer through windows and see only what applications let them see. They will be able to go inside, see how things work, and control their automation. – Enterprise Architects Masters of the Unseen City
Closing the Business / IT gap.
