Cyber-Physical Systems as Sources of Dynamic Complexity in Cyber-Physical-Systems of Systems

Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) represent a technology that connects the physical world and the virtual world to intelligently enhance the operational environment they are operating in. CPS represent complex systems that potentially offer a variety of features like improving the reliability, cost efficiency or maintainability of physical systems. Nevertheless, these improvements are still accompanied by unprecedented complexity, high uncertainty, and overall vulnerability of the CPS. This paper provides an analysis of CPS as sources of dynamic complexity in Cyber-Physical-System of Systems (CPSS) via networks of information transferring, storing, and generating agents. Dynamic system complexity and the impact on the CPS and CPSS is explored via Shannon Entropy and joint entropy. As a final step, a trade-off relationship between the benefits and drawbacks of increased dynamic complexity in CPS and CPSS is presented and leads to the conclusion that both are effective tools for value generation in which dynamic complexity leads to decreased system efficiency