THE CONCEPT OF THE "CLIOS PROCESS": INTEGRATING THE STUDY OF PHYSICAL AND POLICY SYSTEMS USING MEXICO CITY AS AN EXAMPLE

Abstract

Complex, large-scale, integrated, open systems (CLIOS) are a class of systems of special interest in the socio-technical domain. Because of the many sub-systems, the uncertainty in subsystem behavior and interaction and the degree of human agency involved, the emergent behavior of CLIOS is difficult to predict and often counterintuitive, even when subsystem behavior is readily predictable. These attributes make it difficult to represent and study CLIOS. We have developed a CLIOS Process for studying systems of interest. The CLIOS Process can be used as an organizing mechanism for understanding a system’s underlying structure and behavior, identifying strategic options for improving the system’s performance, and deploying and monitoring those strategic options. A key motivation behind the need for a CLIOS Process is the presence of “nested complexity”, which results when a physical system is nested inside a policy system, where both are complex and interdependent. The study of the CLIOS will require that a variety of tools and processes be employed, with quantitative engineering and economic models being used for the physical system and more qualitative institutional, organizational and stakeholder frameworks being used for the policy system. An important aspect of the CLIOS Process is the integration of physical and policy system analysis.