Toward Understanding Ecological SelfDesign through Network Environ Analysis and Design Theory H. Jef

1
Toward Understanding Ecological Self-Design
through Network Environ Analysis and Design
TheoryH. Jeff Turk David K Gattie Faculty of
Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens,
GASystems and Engineering Ecology Program

• Ecological self-design is a
  commonly used expression to identify the
  observation that ecosystems over time
  self-regulate and optimize their organization and
  function. To date, the insight and understanding
  of this ability has been nebulous to the point of
  intractability. This can be attributed to the
  difficulties arising from understanding and
  quantifying the indirect effects of a connected
  system and partly because of the absence of
  application of an appropriate design theory.

• Design implies organization and
  organization exists in various entities ranging
  from institutions, to electrical and mechanical
  products, to ecosystems. Design theory and the
  axioms of independence and information provide a
  scientific basis for the understanding of design
  organization through the structured mapping of
  uncoupled, coupled, and decoupled systems.
• 
  __Design Theory Axioms2
• 1. The Independence Axiom
  2. The
  Information Axiom
• 
  Corollaries
• 1. Decoupling of Coupled
  Designs 5. Use of
  Symmetry
• 2. Minimization of
  Functional Requirements 6. Largest
  Tolerance
• 3. Integration of Physical
  Parts 7. Uncoupled
  Design
• 4. Use of Standardization
  

• Network Environ Analysis is an
  environmental application of Leontiefs
  input-output analysis. It uses a currency of
  matter or energy and is a general analytical tool
  to study objects as part of a connected system.
  This ability to investigate and map ecosystems as
  individual compartments within a connected system
  is foundational to the understanding of the
  connectedness of nature. Furthermore, the
  analysis allows effects to be parsed into direct
  and indirect quantities by the use of graph
  theory, thereby, increasing both the qualitative
  and quantitative understanding of the system.
• Four Hypotheses of Network
  Environ Analysis1
• Amplification Integral flow along
  a pathway exceeds direct input.
• Homogenization Action of the
  network makes flow distribution more uniform.
• Synergism Positive utility exceeds
  negative utility giving rise to dominant positive
  relations.
• Indirect effects dominance Indirect
  flow contribution exceeds direct flow in the
  network.

• Upon investigation, intriguing
  commonalities between ecosystem description,
  analysis, and design theory are realized. Among
  others, these similarities include environ
  coupling/design coupling, and ecosystem goal
  functions/design goals. Furthermore, and perhaps
  most compelling, it appears that a similar
  organizational mapping between ecosystem
  structure/ function and design structure/
  function exists. Consequently, the intent of this
  work is to highlight potential symmetries between
  the principles of design theory and environ
  theory through a discussion of traditional design
  principles within the framework of ecosystem
  self-organization. These potential symmetries are
  examined by quantitative techniques that describe
  and unify ecosystems as holistic units.
• References 1. Fath BD, Patten BC
  1999. Review of the Foundations of Network
• 
  Environ Analysis. Ecosystems 2. 167-179
• 2.
  Suh, Nam P, The Principles of Design, Oxford
  University Press, 1990