PhD thesis in progress online

I am finally compiling my PhD thesis. Please feel free to check the latest snapshot. Any comment/suggestion/feedback would be more than welcome.

Most of the contents of the thesis are the outcome of my work on self-organizing systems.

Abstract

Complex systems are difficult to design and control. There are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there is no general methodology. In this thesis I propose such a methodology. This is based in the description of the system as self-organizing. The methodology proposes a series of steps to follow to find proper mechanisms that will promote elements to find solutions to problems by actively interacting among themselves.

A general introduction to complex thinking is given, since designing self-organizing systems requires a non-classical way of looking at things. To illustrate the methodology, I use as case studies self-organizing traffic lights, self-organizing bureaucracies, and self-organizing artifacts in an ambient intelligence scenario, along with other possible areas of application.

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