Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 8.1
Bioenergy system
consisting of multiple
subsystems including
biomass feedstock production
and provision; each
subsystem is a system in
itself
Systems informatics, therefore, is the application of the ideas in informatics for the
study of integrated systems. The three major systems informatics techniques are:
•
Knowledge management
: Knowledge management attempts to enhance the per-
formance of individuals and organizations through the maintenance and enhance-
ment of the present and future values of knowledge assets [
4
]. Knowledge
management focuses on knowledge and experience sharing.
•
Concurrent engineering
: Concurrent engineering, also termed simultaneous
engineering, is the simultaneous progress of activities that are required in deliv-
ering new products to the customer. During the process of concurrent engineer-
ing, all the elements of the product life cycle from conception through disposal,
including quality, cost, schedule, and user requirements, are considered [
5
]. Ting
et al. [
6
] expanded this concept to include directed research activities necessary
for the realization of long-term objectives.
•
Software engineering
: Software engineering is the branch of systems engineer-
ing related to the development of large and complex software systems [
7
], and
some examples in agriculture are the BPSys [
8
], Integrated Biomass Supply
Analysis and Logistics (IBSAL) model [
9
], and the Agricultural Production
Systems Simulator (APSIM) [
10
] .
8.2.2
Systems Analysis
Systems analysis refers to the functional aspect of a system. It involves developing
models and using those models to perform explicit formal inquiry (scenario studies)
and develop strategies to achieve desired objectives (optimization). The systems
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