Framework for Understanding and Shaping Systems of Systems The case of industry and infrastructure development in seaport regions

A framework has been developed that enables actors to understand and shape industry-infrastructure system-of-systems in seaport regions. The framework connects knowledge engineering with the simulation of system-of-systems evolution. It consists of a system decomposition method using ontologies, a modular agent based model and a knowledge feedback process. The framework was developed and used in a study on fostering biobased cluster evolution in the Eemsdelta, the Netherlands. To support regional development authorities who must balance the interest of each company and the system-of-systems network metrics were developed and incorporated in the simulation. Use of the framework creates a socially accepted model for systems-of-systems analysis that can directly be converted into live simulations to visualize possible directions of its evolution, which results can be used to feedback to the knowledge process.