Presentation Aalborg

1. Conceptualizing large complex engineering systems as socio-technical systemsthe case of cadastral systems Presentation Aalborg Maarten Ottens Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management

2. Socio-technical? Systems differ qua involvement of agents and social factors:

3. The research • understanding What are socio-technical systems? • modelling How can socio-technical systems be modelled? • designing (How) can socio-technical systems be designed?

4. Existing concepts/theories regarding (complex, technical) systems • Social sciences : Actor-Network Theory, descriptive, Callon, Latour • All elements are taken as intentional • Physics : Complex Systems Theory, predictive • Nonlinear dynamics, modelling systems by modelling the elements with simple rules and interacting • Engineering sciences : Systems Engineering, prescriptive • All elements as rational, logic, within laws of physics and logic

5. Looking at systems engineering • Systems engineering • Systems engineering • Static system view, complexity in amount of elements, sorts of elements and relations • Dynamic system view, complexity in phases in design approach, e.g. life-cycle design

6. A A Designers, users intentionality Designed, used non intentionality S T S T physical abstract 1. Static model (elements)

7. 1. Static model (relations) Kinds of relations

8. 2. Dynamic model Structure Process Structure Process Structure

9. The rest of the presentation • Understanding the cadastral system • Modeling: Elements of the cadastral system • Designing the cadastral system: • Boundaries or what to design • How to design • Discussion • Conclusion

10. person owner right society land owned Understanding: the cadastral system • Ownership of real property

11. Modeling: agents in cadastral system • Physical humans • Organizations • Groups • Owner (user) • Companies (Professionals: surveyors, lawyers, .. banks) • Authorities • Schools (universities etc) O/Prof. O/C/A/S O? (Squatters)

12. Modeling: social elements in cadastral system

13. Modeling: technical elements in cadastral system • Satellites • Computers and networks • Coordinate measuring devices • Databases, archives; documents and maps • Markers? (boundary, control point, sign posts)

14. Designing: What are the boundaries of the static cadastral system? (What to be designed?) Essential for functioning (& open for design) Trust (in others, in authorities), sense of “beruf”

15. Designing: How to design? Engineers: if it exists, use it, don’t design it, but if needed improve it (standards, open source software) This is then only applied to elements considered open for design. In cadastral systems however, certain other elements are so important to the functioning that they need to be designed/improved as well. For social elements the process design seems more important then the product design

16. Discussion: modeling • Social elements have material grounding (documents, boundary marks, legislation, ..) abstract social versus physical technical • Is there a conceptual distinction between formal and informal social elements as being designed and emerged? • Markers, social or technical elements? Data?

17. Discussion: designing • For design next to structure also process design is needed. Engineers do it, but only for technology • Social elements are in Cadastral systems more important then in ‘technical’ socio-technical systems like transportation systems for functioning • The classical sense of engineering design does not work for cadastral systems, because informal social elements and trust etc is not taken into account

18. Conclusion • To deal with intentions and ‘non-designable’ elements we must look at the dynamic system Because these elements are merely influenced then designed, and influencing happens through processes rather then designed structures.