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Systems Modeling

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Handbook of Systems Sciences

Abstract

This chapter comprehensively describes systems modeling, including the roles of modeling, models, and the modeling process.

Modeling has three important roles in the systems approach. The first role is to express the current situation as a model. The second role is to express the ideal state of the system. The third role is to represent the recognized problems.

In systems science, an object is recognized as a system and expressed as a model. The modeling framework can be summarized as the relationship F(S,A,T,M) of subject S, objective A, prototype T, and model M.

System models are primarily classified into four types: input/output, state transition, linear, and decision-making. From the perspective of system functions, model classifications are machine, organic, cybernetic, and complex adaptive.

The modeling process consists of five phases: understanding problem situations, identifying relevant systems, clarifying the modeling purpose, identifying and structuring model components, and identifying parameters.

Model validation is critically important, and it is performed with both internal criteria and external criteria.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Shingo Takahashi

Authors
  1. Shingo Takahashi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shingo Takahashi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. InterConnections, LLC, Ashland, KY, USA

    Gary S. Metcalf

  2. Graduate School of Decision Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyoichi Kijima

  3. CABSSS, Tokyo Institute of Technology CABSSS, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hiroshi Deguchi

Section Editor information

  1. Grad Sch of Decision Sci & Tech, Tokyo Institute of Technology Grad Sch of Decision Sci & Tech, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyoichi Kijima

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Takahashi, S. (2021). Systems Modeling. In: Metcalf, G.S., Kijima, K., Deguchi, H. (eds) Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0720-5_4

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