Design for failure: Software challenges of digital ecosystems

Ian Sommerville is Professor of Computer Science at St Andrews University in Scotland . He has worked for many years with social scientists and was amongst the first computer scientists to explore how information from ethnographic studies of work could be used to inform system specification and design. This has led to his current research in the dependability of socio-technical systems where he is working on modelling responsibilities across organisations, organisational memory and coping with systems failure. Ian is the author of a widely used textbook on software engineering which was first published in 1982 and which is now in its 8th edition.

 Abstract of Keynote Presentation:

In dynamic computation ecosystems involving many different participants, a top-down approach to system dependability does not work. It is not possible to take a top-down approach to system design and implementation and to validate the resulting system against some specification. Rather, we have to assume that elements of the system will become unavailable at unpredictable times and that some elements may be unreliable. Instead of designing systems to avoid failure, we must re-orient our thinking and design systems so that we can tolerate failure and recover from failures when they occur. In this talk, I will discuss the challenges of designing for failure and will introduce research on responsibility modelling that provides information for failure recovery.

 The Singapore Infocomm Technology (ICT) system as a form of digital eco-economic system

 Chuan-Leong Lam is an Ambassador-at-Large with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is also the Chairman, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Chairman, Competition Commission of Singapore. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore and Adjunct Professor, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore and Visiting Professor at the Durham University Business School. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a First Class Honours in physics from the University of Singapore. Mr Lam has recently retired after serving 36 years with the Singapore Civil Service. During his career, his has headed key Ministries in charge of Communications and Information, Trade and Industry, National Development and the Environment. His key interests and direct experience are in the area of macro economics, regulation of monopolies, eg, telcos, power and water, competition policy, pricing and market efficiency, privatisation of government services, eg, telecoms, power, incineration plants. He has done work on transport economics, structuring of public, private financing initiatives and development of e-government systems.

 Abstract of Keynote Presentation:

    Singapore has been ranked amongst the top nations in terms of IT readiness and IT as a factor of national competitiveness by the World Economic Forum Report. Another report by the consulting firm Accenture shows that Singapore's e-government efforts have resulted in the highest ranking amongst nations in terms of the trust of the people using e-government. This presenation looks at the historical evolution and future planning of the Singapore Infocomm Technology (ICT) system at the national level from the point of view of a digital eco-system.

    In particular, Singapore's ICT development can be viewed as a special sub-set of the digital eco-system in light of the considerable intervention and catalytic efforts of the government in promoting ICT within itself, the private sector and the people sector both at home and in the field of education. To this extent, it is possible to view the Singapore ICT eco-system as a form of ‘Eco-garden’ which has a higher degree of human intervention and nuturring. The Singapore experience shows that eco-gardening can have very positive effects on the growth of the ICT system. This is possible because of careful understanding of the catalytic role of government and knowing when to impose order and when to allow natural selection and evolution to occur.

 Structure and Outlook of Digital Ecosystems Research

  Paolo Dini is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Paolo Dini, originally from Italy, completed his university education in the US in aerospace engineering and aerodynamics modelling. He worked as a consultant in wind-turbine aerodynamic analysis and design whilst teaching physics to biologists for a number of years, then changed fields to electronics and worked on wearable computer design in the US and for Philips Research Laboratories in the UK. His interest in interdisciplinary research grew during his time with the MIT Media Lab Europe, in Dublin, where he attracted a large group of researchers working on many different aspects of self-organisation, from the self-assembly of proteins on carbon nanotubes, to biological design patterns in software engineering, to the development of community identity through interactive narrative applications on wireless networks in public spaces. He is currently the Scientific Coordinator of the Digital Business Ecosystem (DBE) Integrated Project and the Coordinator of the Open Philosophies for Associative Autopoietic Digital Ecosystems (OPAALS) Network of Excellence, both funded under the 6th Framework Programme of Research of the European Commission.

 Abstract of Keynote Presentation:

    In this talk I will attempt to give an overview of the emerging field of Digital Ecosystems research. I will outline some of the significant events and conceptual turning points of the past few years, the current activities, and the future challenges. In all cases my comments will be divided into two parts: the first part focuses on digital ecosystems as an Open Source technology inspired by biological ecosystems; the second part extends the meaning of the term to encompass the people and the companies that populate DEs, and the collaborative/ communicative processes by which new business and economic models are being forged. Keeping these two perspectives distinct and faithful to their respective philosophical traditions has enabled us to begin to understand how the process of formalisation of knowledge can couple constructively the behaviour of the very different kinds of actors inhabiting these two interacting epistemological spaces. Meanwhile, Digital Ecosystems are emerging in different parts of the world, in different socio-economic and cultural contexts, and can already provide a broad range of case studies for sustainable development. The talk will conclude with an overview of the interesting initiatives taking shape within and across the growing world-wide network of digital ecosystems.

Eco-Tourists, Eco-Tourism and Eco-environments: A social, cultural and economic impact

 Professor David Wood is the Executive Dean of the Division of Humanities at Curtin University of Technology. He also holds senior positions on the State Government's peak planning boards including: Chair of the State’s Coastal Planning and Coordination Council and the Perth Coastal Planning Strategy Steering Committee; Deputy Chair of the Ningaloo Sustainable Development Committee; Commissioner of the Western Australian Planning Commission; and member of the Steering Committee for the WA State of the Environment Report. David recently completed a terms as a Councillor of the Heritage Council of Western Australia, Director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and a Councillor of the Planning Institute of Australia (Western Australia).

The RPDE organisation – a digital ecosystem in the Australian Defence sector

 Mike Kalms is the General Manager for the RPDE program. He has over 15 years experience in the defence industry, with roles including Operations Director for the NITEworks program in the UK, and the Head of Strategy for BAE Systems Australia.

Boris Novak is the Stakeholder Liaison Manager for RPDE. Previously an Electronics Engineering Officer in the RAAF, he has 7 years of experience in small medium enterprises, is a President of the Minerva Technology Group, a cluster of small technology businesses in NSW, of which he was a founding member, and is currently Chairman of the Hunter Region’s Defence Industry Committee, more widely known as “Team Hunter”. Boris strongly believes that the advanced digital ecosystem concept provide the world a leading example of civilised change in culture and societal economics. Boris will present the keynote on behalf of RPDE, Department of Defence.

Jane MacMaster was the first Operations Manager for RPDE and still provides operations support to the program. Jane was a member of the team who conducted the scoping study and the implementation phase of the RPDE program. She has substantial experience in ICT and Defence technology and is one of the champions in the alignment of the RPDE program to the innovative Digital ecosystems concepts. She has worked in the Australian Defence industry for over 11 years.

 Abstract of Keynote Presentation:

    The Rapid Prototyping Development and Evaluation (RPDE) program is an innovative initiative being undertaken by the Australian Defence Force. RPDE is about Defence, industry and academia working together. Participants in RPDE work in a paid collaborative, non-competitive environment where commercial interference is put aside to find the best workable solution to Defence capability issues within short timeframes. Eighty three companies are involved – from major Defence primes to specialist small-to-medium enterprises. 72% of the program participants have had paid involvement in one or more RPDE tasks in the past 12 months. This presentation introduces the RPDE organisation and illustrates the working model of RPDE. The manner in which the RPDE operates is a practical demonstration of the digital ecosystem. This talk also identifies the benefits, challenges and lessons encountered by RPDE to date.

 Telecommunications: Key Infrastructure for the Digital Revolution and the Global Knowledge Economy

 For most of his working life Mal has been engaged in developing companies, communities and public policy to harness the power of new technology.  His career has focused, in particular, upon the competitive advantage to be achieved for companies and communities from the effective application of ICT.  In the last 20 years, Mal has worked as a cabinet minister, company director, corporate manager and senior consultant.

Throughout the 1990s Mal was a leading pioneer in the development of the Australian Internet Industry.  He was the architect of Australia’s first online community in Ipswich and he led the team that implemented Australia’s first community driven eCommerce Project.  He was also the director of the project, which established a new contemporary campus of the University of Queensland in Ipswich.

He is a former;

• Deputy Premier of Western Australia
• Director of Bank West
• Executive Chairman of the Australian Centre for Innovation and International Competitiveness in Sydney
• Chairman/director of six science based companies based in Australia and the USA
• Chairman of the Governing Council of Perth Central TAFE
• Member of the Prime Minister’s Science and Engineering Council
• Management Consultant with Deloitte Ross Tohmatsu
• Visiting Fellow at Curtin University of Technology; and
• Chairman of the WA Tele-Centre Advisory Council.

 Abstract of Keynote Presentation:

    This paper examines the foundations and driving forces behind the emergence of the Global Knowledge Economy with particular reference to the role of Telecommunications Infrastructure and the Digital Revolution.  Attention is given to the Broadband debate in Australia and the paper concludes with an assessment of the impact of broadband technology on the general economy and SMEs in particular.