145
Foundations in Systems Integration
encapsulates integration spans the project that produced the radio, the radio
station that transmitted the signals which were decoded by the radio, the
user(s) of the radio, the listeners of the sound, and the behaviors of the users
and the listeners as a consequence of their interaction with the radio, the
sound from the radio, the transmitting station, the recording artist(s), and so
forth—the list of stakeholders being quite lengthy (estimated to be in the
tens to hundreds). By defining the boundary of the “music” broadly, rather
than limiting it to one radio, the stakeholders’ number can run into the millions and billions by counting individuals rather than groups of individuals.
Objects and their EMMI are essential components of the ontology, but only
when included in the context of the (social) processes enacted to realize the
delivered product or service, the uses, and disposal—in short, the process
associated with the product or service lifecycle.
Objects, EMMI, and processes form the subtypes of a prototype-based
ontology (Sowa 2000)—a formal distinguishable from their supertype(s).
By comparing members of a subtype, the typical member of the subtype is
necessarily different from typical members of other subtypes.
The ontology of integration is concerned with all that is product conceptualization, development and integration, and use and disposal (the complete
lifecycle sense). This consideration of integration includes objects, EMMI,
and sociological processes and behaviors. The object built is the result of the
building process. The object used is the result of what was built. The object
use is the result of the building process and the functions by design, by use,
and by accident. From the perspective of use (i.e., delivered and operational
product or service), the objective of an object is corporeal, real in every sense.
An object is recognized as having physical meaning; measurable properties,
traits, and attributes; and value for its performance(s). The building of objects
is also objective, measurable, and valued for the result, that is, the result of
building and delivering the object. Systems engineers (and other builders
of products and services) are the creators of systems, systems comprised of
objects. The process begins with an object and building up of other objects
from elemental objects.
Objects appear to be formed from other objects. Building on our knowledge of the most elementary particles (objects), we observe a few properties
that seem to be present in other configurations (also referred to as objects).
The concepts of interaction and integration appear operative at the most
elemental levels of objects to the most integrated forms of objects (galaxies
and the universe*). Objects are comprised of (or convertible into) matter †
with mass or electric charge (that is representable as mass).
* We refer to the universe as the system—the system has no boundaries, i.e., without limit in
all respects. As such, the universe is ontologically one.
† Matter may not be the only substance that is comprised of energy or mass (or its derivatives
such as force and momentum), but for convenience we loosely interpret all such “things” as
matter.
Foundations in Systems Integration
encapsulates integration spans the project that produced the radio, the radio
station that transmitted the signals which were decoded by the radio, the
user(s) of the radio, the listeners of the sound, and the behaviors of the users
and the listeners as a consequence of their interaction with the radio, the
sound from the radio, the transmitting station, the recording artist(s), and so
forth—the list of stakeholders being quite lengthy (estimated to be in the
tens to hundreds). By defining the boundary of the “music” broadly, rather
than limiting it to one radio, the stakeholders’ number can run into the millions and billions by counting individuals rather than groups of individuals.
Objects and their EMMI are essential components of the ontology, but only
when included in the context of the (social) processes enacted to realize the
delivered product or service, the uses, and disposal—in short, the process
associated with the product or service lifecycle.
Objects, EMMI, and processes form the subtypes of a prototype-based
ontology (Sowa 2000)—a formal distinguishable from their supertype(s).
By comparing members of a subtype, the typical member of the subtype is
necessarily different from typical members of other subtypes.
The ontology of integration is concerned with all that is product conceptualization, development and integration, and use and disposal (the complete
lifecycle sense). This consideration of integration includes objects, EMMI,
and sociological processes and behaviors. The object built is the result of the
building process. The object used is the result of what was built. The object
use is the result of the building process and the functions by design, by use,
and by accident. From the perspective of use (i.e., delivered and operational
product or service), the objective of an object is corporeal, real in every sense.
An object is recognized as having physical meaning; measurable properties,
traits, and attributes; and value for its performance(s). The building of objects
is also objective, measurable, and valued for the result, that is, the result of
building and delivering the object. Systems engineers (and other builders
of products and services) are the creators of systems, systems comprised of
objects. The process begins with an object and building up of other objects
from elemental objects.
Objects appear to be formed from other objects. Building on our knowledge of the most elementary particles (objects), we observe a few properties
that seem to be present in other configurations (also referred to as objects).
The concepts of interaction and integration appear operative at the most
elemental levels of objects to the most integrated forms of objects (galaxies
and the universe*). Objects are comprised of (or convertible into) matter †
with mass or electric charge (that is representable as mass).
* We refer to the universe as the system—the system has no boundaries, i.e., without limit in
all respects. As such, the universe is ontologically one.
† Matter may not be the only substance that is comprised of energy or mass (or its derivatives
such as force and momentum), but for convenience we loosely interpret all such “things” as
matter.