French Roadmap for complex Systems 2008-2009

David Chavalarias (1, 2, 3) , Paul Bourgine (1, 3) , Edith Perrier (3) , Fredéric Amblard (3) , François Arlabosse (3) , Pierre Auger (3) , Jean-Bernard Baillon (3) , Olivier Barreteau (3) , Pierre Baudot (3) , Elisabeth Bouchaud (3) , Soufian Ben Amor (3) , Hugues Berry (3) , Cyrille Bertelle (3) , Marc Berthod (3) , Guillaume Beslon (3) , Giulio Biroli (3) , Daniel Bonamy (3) , Daniele Bourcier (3) , Nicolas Brodu (3) , Marc Bui (3) , Yves Burnod (3) , Bertrand Chapron (3) , Catherine Christophe (3) , Bruno Clément (3) , Jean-Louis Coatrieux (3) , Jean-Philippe Cointet (3) , Valérie Dagrain (3) , Katia Dauchot (3) , Olivier Dauchot (3) , François Daviaud (3) , Silvia de Monte (3) , Guillaume Deffuant (3) , Pierre Degond (3) , Jean-Paul Delahaye (3) , René Doursat (3) , Francesco d'Ovidio (3) , Marc A. Dubois (3) , Berengère Dubruelle (3) , Marie Dutreix (3) , Robert Faivre (3) , Emmanuel Farge (3) , Patrick Flandrin (3) , Sara Franceschelli (3) , Cédric Gaucherel (3) , Jean-Pierre Gaudin (3) , Michael Ghil (3) , Jean-Louis Giavitto (3) , Francesco Ginelli (3) , Vincent Ginot (3) , François Houllier (3) , Bernard Hubert (3) , Pablo Jensen (3) , Ludovic Jullien (3, 4) , Zoï Kapoula (3) , Daniel Krob (3) , François Ladieu (3) , Gabriel Lang (3) , Chrsitophe Lavelle (3) , André Le Bivic (3) , Jean-Pierre Leca (3) , Christophe Lecerf (3) , Pierre Legrain (3) , Denis L'Hôte (3) , Maud Loireau (3) , Jean-François Mangin (3) , Olivier Monga (3) , Michel Morvan (3) , Jean-Pierre Muller (3) , Ioan Negrutiu (3) , Nadine Peyreiras (3) , Denise Pumain (3) , Ovidiu Radulescu (3) , Jean Sallantin (3) , Eric Sanchis (3) , D Schertzer (3) , Marc Schoenauer (3) , Michèle Sebag (3) , Eric Simonet (3) , Adrien Six (3) , Fabien Tarissan (3) , Patrick Vincent (3)

1 CREA - Centre de recherche en épistémologie appliquée
2 ISC-PIF - Institut des Systèmes Complexes - Paris Ile-de-France
3 RNSC - Réseau National des Systèmes Complexes
4 PASTEUR - Processus d'Activation Sélective par Transfert d'Energie Uni-électronique ou Radiatif (UMR 8640)

A “complex system” is in general any system comprised of a great number of heterogeneous entities, among which local interactions create multiple levels of collective structure and organization. Examples include natural systems ranging from bio-molecules and living cells to human social systems and the ecosphere, as well as sophisticated artificial systems such as the Internet, power grid or any large-scale distributed software system. A unique feature of complex systems, generally overlooked by traditional science, is the emergence of non-trivial superstructures which often dominate the system's behaviour and cannot be easily traced back to the properties of the constituent entities. Not only do higher emergent features of complex systems arise from lower-level interactions, but the global patterns that they create affect in turn these lower levels — a feedback loop sometimes called immergence. In many cases, complex systems possess striking properties of robustness against various large-scale and potentially disruptive perturbations. They have an inherent capacity to adapt and maintain their stability. Because complex systems require analysis at many different spatial and temporal scales, scientists face radically new challenges when trying to observe complex systems, in learning how to describe them effectively, and in developing original theories of their behaviour and control. The aim of this roadmap is to identify a set of wide thematic domains for complex systems research over the next five years. Each domain is organized around a specific question or topic and proposes a relevant set of “grand challenges”, i.e., clearly identifiable problems whose solution would stimulate significant progress in both theoretical methods and experimental strategies.

Keywords: complex systems; complexity; Formal epistemology; experimentation; machine learning; Stochastic and multiscale dynamics; instabilities and robustness; Collective behavior in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems; optimal control; multiscale governance; Reconstruction of multiscale dynamics; emergence and immergence processes; Designing artificial complex systems; Complex matter; Physiological functions; Ecosystemic complexity; individual cognition; social cognition; Territorial intelligence and sustainable development; Ubiquitous computing; Geosciences and the environment

Domains: Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems [nlin.AO]; Bioinformatics [q-bio.QM]; Biodiversity and Ecology; Environmental and Society; Global Changes; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Cellular Biology; Development Biology; Quantitative Methods [q-bio.QM]; Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; Sociology; Methods and statistics; Computers and Society [cs.CY]; Computer Science and Game Theory [cs.GT]; Ubiquitous Computing; Web; General Mathematics [math.GM]; Disordered Systems and Neural Networks [cond-mat.dis-nn]; Physics and Society [physics.soc-ph]; Computer science

David Chavalarias, Paul Bourgine, Edith Perrier, Fredéric Amblard, François Arlabosse, et al.. French Roadmap for complex Systems 2008-2009. 2009. ⟨hal-00392486⟩