International Society for the Systems Sciences: Journals ISSS
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Study of Intelligent Impedance Control Using a Fuzzy Neural Network
No full text This paper presents study of adaptive force control that takes into account object characteristics using a fuzzy neural network. This study applies fuzzy theory to position control and force control, similar to those actually implemented by industrial robots, to enable automatic establishment of optimum parameters for different environments and autonomous, flexible motion
MECHANISMS FOR UNDERSTANDING MENTAL MODEL CHANGE IN GROUP MODEL BUILDING
No full textThe group-level goals of group model building have been described as alignment of mental models, consensus and commitment to a decision. Several explanations have been proposed to explain these changes. This paper tracks participants in four group model building interventions where delayed evaluations suggested that lasting mental model change had occurred. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore how participants believed that the workshops changed their thinking. The results are compared with proposed mechanisms for mental model change: operator logic, systems thinking, modelling as persuasion, and boundary objects. Although individuals typically possess incomplete insight into their own learning, interview results support the boundary object model as most consistent with participants’ own recollections
ENGAGING TO HARNESS COMMUNITY CREATIVITY FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING
No full textThe paper reflects on different approaches to public participation in the highly complex field of urban planning. It is based on research, personal experience, case studies and theories. Engagement principles are discussed and recommendations made for harnessing community creativity to achieve sustainable planning outcomes for current and future generations. This exploration is triggered by several factors, primarily: a realization of the shortcomings of current approaches to urban planning to create healthy, integrated, liveable and sustainable communities; increased pressure by those citizens whose lives are affected by planning outcomes to influence planning decisions; and the concurrent increased focus by the Australian government, across all three tiers, on engaging citizens. These factors in turn are to a major extent driven by the effect of technological advances on communications, which is increasing communities’ access to information, fueling the social media revolution and providing ever-increasing potential options to include more voices. Approaches to urban planning and their outcomes are affected by key issues of democracy and participation in public policy making at local and regional level, the role of the private sector and the balance of markets, government and civil society. The political system focus on short-term benefits (Hoggett), a containerized approach by government, and a heavy reliance on the market to deliver government policy, results in much urban planning failing to recognize ‘the relationship between our choices now and their consequences tomorrow’ (Integrated Design Commission) particularly in terms of sustainability. Increasingly, governments, planners, architects and communities are realizing that ‘Sustainable communities cannot be designed using the same methods that produced unsustainable ones’ (Condon). Also, gradually, the focus is changing from seeking solutions to identifying problems and understanding how everything inter-connects (IDC). Urban developments can take decades to plan and deliver, and therefore need a flexible, holistic approach to respond to changing conditions, multiple stakeholders and ‘the multiple layers and components of social systems’ (Sarkissian et al). There also is no one way in which to plan and design the urban landscape and no one way in which to engage. At the heart of both planning and engagement needs to be creativity, ‘using methods that honour people’s individual and collective knowledge about their lives and their environments’ (Sarkissian & Hurford). In identifying creativity as the key to a better future, McIntyre-Mills argues that ‘policy and practice needs to consider social, economic and environmental implications for all life’ (McIntyre-Mills) the challenges of which ‘are unprecedented’ (McIntyre-Mills) and she asks ‘Can we design systems and technologies that sustain a future environment, or will we design systems that destroy our future?’ (McIntyre-Mills). This raises the question of whose creativity can and should be harnessed, and how. It is neither a task for government alone, nor for experts across the public and private sectors, to determine how communities and individuals should live. Recognising this, the Premier of South Australia said that community engagement is central to urban renewal projects. Analysis of the engagement approaches all emphasise that we citizens ‘are the dots and we are the interconnections. They are one. We make or break the connections’ (McIntyre Mills & de Vries). Engagement also needs to be guided by principles to determine both the process and the outcomes and to be ‘as open and transparent as possible’ (Cook). McIntyre-Mills recommends development of ‘a cycle including discursive democracy, deliberation on areas of concern – such as the multiple and complex issues associated with urban planning – based on structural dialogue and then voting on decisions’ (McIntyre-Mills & de Vries). The recommended mix of approaches to public participation in urban planning explored here can contribute towards achieving that objective
A Study on Water Resources in Vietnam: Current Status, Problems and Solutions for Sustainable Consumption
No full textIn this paper we discuss the current situation and issues of water resources in Vietnam, and also provide suggestions to improve this status. Vietnam has 2360 rivers with differently small and big sizes. Annually, flow of surface water is estimated to be about 830 billion m3 in total, of which 63% is water originated from other foreign countries. In terms of water use, the total use volume in a year is about 80 billion m3 with 82% used for agricultural production. The proportions of water used tend to increase for industry, fishery and domestic purposes. The current main problems of water resources in Vietnam are the pollution of surface water, the decrease in quality of groundwater’s quality, and water salinity in coastal areas. Irrational exploitation of water resources is believed to be one main reason for these. In fact, there are 154 industrial and large scale processing zones in the whole country but only 43 of them are equipped with concentrated wastewater treatment systems. The management models of centralized water supply systems include state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, joint-stock companies, centers for rural water supply and sanitation and co-operatives under management of People’s Committees or of communities. The responsibility for state management on water resources at national level belongs to the Government, Ministries and ministerial-level agencies with the major duties belonging to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The responsibility also belongs to the People’s Committees at provincial and lower levels. There have been about 24 issued legal documents related to water resources. The law on water resources was composed in 1998 and ratified in June 21, 2012. In order to protect water resources from depletion for future’s sustainable consumption, Vietnamese Government has been trying to improve water use’s management systems, to reform institutions, to set up law, to plan schemes, to raise people’s awareness of the water’s role water’s role, as well as to educate them to use water economically and reasonably. However, the current management is still facing many difficulties, containing technical, managerial, policy and institutional problems. These problems are believed to mainly come from five reasons. First, the information and communication are weak and inefficient. Second, people have not been aware of saving water. Moreover, there is almost no standard for the use of water in economic sectors and water has not been reasonably priced for each production zones and each types of using. Another reason is the lack of sanctions to penalize those who pollute water resources. Finally, it is seen that citizens have not proactively taken part in water management activities such as irrigation management. As an effort to tackle these problems, Vietnamese Government has presented a number of solutions in the National Strategy for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation until 2020. These include solutions concerning water resources management, institution and policy, planning and schemes, financial policy and economical solutions, multimedia tools and education on efficient water use. As a support for the Government’s solutions, this paper will present and suggest the application of South Korea’s Integrated Water Resources Management System to Vietnam. This system consists of identifying, collecting and analysing data for different water resources in order to find the most suitable management schemes afterwards. Since water is considered as “economic goods”, the responsibilities of stakeholders such as the government, manufacturers, suppliers, comsumers and water-exploiting enterprises will also be discussed as an essential part of this management system.  
IDENTIFYING ARCHETYPES OF AN ENHANCED SYSTEM DYNAMIC CAUSAL LOOP DIAGRAM IN PURSUIT OF STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE SMALLHOLDER BEEF FARMING IN JAVA, INDONESIA
No full textMore than 70% of the national beef herd of Indonesia is controlled by smallholders, who therefore play a vital role in beef cattle development programs. This paper reports on a study into disappointing results of recent government policy initiatives on practices of smallholder beef farmer groups in rural Java, Indonesia. Despite funding aimed at increasing the national beef herd and domestic beef production though enhancing smallholder productivity, perverse effects of declining reproductive rates and breeding cow numbers are being observed. Smallholder beef farming is a complex system. It involves multiple actors including farmers, farmer groups, farmer households, researchers, government officers, and traders. The interactions of these stakeholders are characterised by power asymmetry, whereby smallholders, whether as individuals or as members of groups possessing social entity, experience less power and access to privileges than other actors. For effective research aimed at system improvement, an approach capable of recognising system complexity, multiple perspectives and social power asymmetry is necessary. In the body of systems thinking, System Dynamics (SD) is considered to be a powerful tool, as it enables the construction of rigorous models and visualisation of the causal linkages among variables which might influence the system’s performance. One of the fundamental essences of SD is the identification of system archetypes: generic systems structures describing the common dynamic processes which characterise the behaviour of the system. System archetypes provide simplified insights into the system’s structures. Analysing system archetypes can assist in the identification of system leverage points, i.e. the places where an intervention should have the most influence on systems behaviour. However, when dealing with a social entity like a smallholder group, SD is considered to be a researcher-centrist methodology, as it lacks the instruments to engage multi-stakeholders’ perspectives which are likely to be varied, and is insensitive to the issue of societal power structures. This paper reports on research in which these deficiencies are addressed through complementary application of Soft System Methodology (SSM), which has strength in acknowledging multiple perspectives, and emancipatory Critical System Heuristics (CSH), which can explicitly address power asymmetry, in an effort to enhance SD. A series of interviews and workshops was undertaken to identify the problematic situation of smallholder beef farming in Java. The main research instruments of Rich Picture development, CATWOE analysis of SSM, and the 12 boundary critique questions of CSH were applied sequentially in the problem analysis stage, resulting in a four dimensional structure incorporating motivation, power control, knowledge and legitimacy. Applying SSM and CSH ensured that the perspectives of all stakeholders, including those of the less powerful, were acknowledged, thereby enriching and enhancing subsequent SD modelling. The structured problematic situation was then used to guide investigation of variables which were thought to be contributory. The results were visualized in a conceptual model which was then translated into a causal loop diagram (CLD) consisting of 17 reinforcing and 13 balancing loops which map the feedback loops of the 4 dimensional situation of the smallholder beef system. The CLD was then investigated to identify the system archetypes. Five archetypes were identified: limit to growth, shifting the burden, success to successful, tragedy of the commons fixes that fail. The nature of each archetype is described, and the implications for identification of the possible system leverage points are discussed
Is it Possible?
No full textThe theme of the 57th Meeting of ISSS, systemic leverage points for emerging a Global Eco-Civilization, in view of curating the conditions for a thrivable planet, is a great challenge. As Alexander Laszlo said in the Presidential message of last year, according with Donella Meadows, the most powerful leverage point is at the level of paradigms. So, the task is exhibit current and emerging initiatives to do that. But, as the old adage, attributed to Bertrand Russell, says, “things done by half are never done right”. All who intend to work in this, and want their effort is rewarded with a long-standing transformative action term, and not content with achieve a fleeting feeling of doing the right thing, take this into account. Is it possible to share, create, and innovated theories, methods, and practices that foster new paradigms in planetary thrivability and systemic conviviality? This paper reviews some issues and difficulties inherent in this subject. And, at least, offer to share an experience in Patagonia, to create a tool for decision-making from the ecological footprint of a little town
The ROMAC program: Managing Complex “Family” Crisis Projects in Developing Countries in the Asia-Pacific
No full textThis paper describes, discusses and comments on the Rotary Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) program and its constituent projects supported by the Rotary Organisations in Australia and New Zealand from a crisis management and recover. The crisis faced by the children cared for by ROMAC cannot be compared to disasters as we know them (natural disasters such as earthquakes or manmade disasters such as nuclear accidents or humanitarian disasters such as an epidemic). The authors would like to classify ROMAC projects as ‘family disasters’ for children and their families from developing countries who need lifesaving or dignity restoring surgery and treatment. These families cannot find facilities to for such treatment nor afford to be treated abroad. There is much that the project management field can learn from the ROMAC programs and projects in dealing with crises and disasters
SPT I.: IDENTIFYING FUNDAMENTAL SYSTEMS PROCESSES FOR A GENERAL THEORY OF SYSTEMS
No full textThis paper is one of a series that further develops the System of Systems Processes Theory (SoSPT) which is an attempt at unification of the results of a wide range of systems theories and natural science experiments to enable development of a true “science” of systems. The central purpose of the SoSPT is to achieve a very detailed description of “how systems work.” In this paper we explain our work of identifying fundamental systems processes found in some form in many systems. We explain why we focus on isomorphic processes as a practical and useful framework for unifying diverse systems theories at the necessary abstraction level for a general theory. We begin with a definition of “process” in general and distinguish this from a “systems-level” process. We present arguments and evidence that support the position that systems-level processes are fundamental to the origin and maintenance of systems of all kinds and thus important for synthesizing the very fragmented systems literature. We argue that the natural science literature (e.g. astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, mathematics, computer science) constitutes studies of real, successful systems by the scientific method and so also are a key source that must be integrated with the synthesized systems literature to achieve a unified “science” of systems. Earlier versions of SoSPT presented ~110 systems processes. Here we introduce some of arguments used to determine if a candidate system process remained on the list or not to reduce the list to a more manageable 55 candidate systems processes. As examples of this procedure, we cover sixteen specific, individual, surviving candidate systems processes to illustrate the arguments used to decide whether or not to include each on the list. This is a work in progress and the list will continue to change as the concept of system processes is further examined and understood and new SPs are discovered and elucidated. It is important to note that this is a recursive process because puzzling over the candidate systems-level processes will discipline our definitions and criteria for recognizing new and judging current candidate systems processes. The paper concludes with insights gained from this effort and with a projection of work yet to be completed for a true “science” of systems to emerge
Syntropy and Sustainability
No full textIn the 1920s the backward-in-time solutions of the fundamental equations of the universe were rejected as non-physical, since retrocausality was considered to be impossible. Then, in 1941, the mathematician Luigi Fantappiè noticed that the properties of these solutions are: energy concentration, the increase in differentiation and complexity, the reduction of entropy, the increase in cohesion and unity, the formation of structures and the increase in order. Listing these properties he remarked that they coincide with the properties of life, which the classical (time forward) approach is unable to explain. In 1942 Fantappiè published a small book titled: “The Unitary Theory of the Physical and Biological World” in which he suggests that the physical/mechanical world is governed by the forward-in-time solution and by the law of entropy, whereas life is governed by the backward-in-time solution and by a law symmetric to entropy which Fantappiè named syntropy (from the Greek words syn = converging and tropos = tendency). The entropy/syntropy theory deals with energy and states that two transformations can effect energy: a forward-in-time transformation governed by the law of entropy and a backward-in-time transformation governed by the law of syntropy. Since energy is a fixed quantity which cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed, the total amount of energy can be represented as the sum of energy in the syntropic state (concentrated) and energy in the entropic state (dispersed): Total Energy = Syntropic Energy + Entropic Energy Furthermore, because Energy is a constant value it can be replaced with the number 1 and the equation changes into: 1 = Syntropy + Entropy which shows that entropy and syntropy are complementary polarities of the same unity: Syntropy = 1 – Entropy Entropy = 1 – Syntropy Entropic energy is governed by causality (causes that precede their effects) and it is for us visible, whereas syntropic energy is governed by retrocausality (effects that precede their causes) and it is for us invisible. The existence of two complementary forces, one diverging and one converging, one visible and one invisible, would be constantly at play in living systems and in its numerous forms of organization. Since entropy is the tendency towards death, whereas syntropy is the tendency towards life, living systems in order to sustain themselves need to minimize entropy and to maximize syntropy. When entropy is high crises are experienced. When entropy is low crises diminish and wellbeing is experienced. According to this view, sustainability follows the syntropic rules which govern the invisible plane of reality and which Jung and Pauli named synchronicities
