Civil Systems Engineering: Definition and Basic Concepts

摘要

The paper aims to tailor and ground the concept of systems engineering (SE) in the context of civil engineering practice. SE is a well-established discipline within other engineering fields, such as mechanics and aerospace. Compared to these fields, the civil engineering field is far more intricate. This complexity is mainly due to the following context: (1) civil systems have undefined boundaries, (2) the environment is an integrated part of the systems, (3) systems are influenced by and at the same time are influencing the users' behavior, (4) systems are subject to a much longer lifespan, (5) future new systems need to be integrated with existing ones, (6) the current innovations in the area of technology continuously change the way the systems are designed, (7) systems are subject to public aspects, (8) systems are usually of a much larger scale, and moreover, (9) validation of designed systems is only possible through simulation of virtual prototypes and environments. In this context, we define civil SE as the acquisition of data and knowledge to support collaborative engineering through integrated modeling and simulation. It needs to focus on the holistic study of civil systems during their lifecycle by defining and identifying interfaces between the physical, social, and environmental sub-systems. The paper looks into the basic underlying concepts of SE, such as systems, interfaces, integration, modeling, simulation from the perspective of civil engineering. These concepts are not new, but the SE perspective combined with civil engineering context offers a different meaning over the one already in use. Consequently, different viewpoints over SE in civil engineering field have led to various ways of interpreting its concepts, which causes misapprehension among researchers and practitioners. Building on top of the limited existing literature this paper clarifies these concepts. Finally, the paper outlines a framework for adopting civil systems engineering.