Ecosystemic Evolution Feeded by Smart Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Information Society is advancing along a route of ecosystemic evolution. ICT and Internet advancements, as well as progression of the systemic approach for enhancement and application of Smart Systems, are grounding such an evolution. Such an approach is expected to evolve while fitting into the basic requirements of a significant general enhancement of human and social well-being, in all the life spheres (public, private, professional). This corresponds to enhancing and exploiting the Net-Living virtual space to make it a virtuous and effectively widely beneficial extension of the real-life space. Meanwhile, contextual evolution of Smart Cities is aimed at strongly empowering that ecosystemic approach by enhancing and extending Net-Living benefits over our own lived territory, while also incisively targeting a new stable socio-economic territorial development, according to social-ecological and economical sustainability requirements. This territorial focus matches with a glo-cal vision, which enables a more effective diffusion of benefits in terms of well-being, thus moderating a global vision that is primarily linked to global-scale market developments.

Basic technological-advancements have to be pursued at the system-level. They include system architecting for virtualization of functions, flexible basic service composition, and end-service personalization viability, for the operation and interoperation of Smart Systems, supporting effective Net-Living advancements in different application fields.

Increasing, and basically mandatory, importance must also be reserved for human-technical and socio-technical factors, as well as to the associated need of empowering the cross-disciplinary approach for related research and innovation. The prospected eco-systemic impact also implies a social pro-active participation, as well as coping with possible negative effects of Net-Living in terms of social exclusion and isolation, which also require incisive actions for conformal socio-cultural development. In this, speed, continuity, and expected long-term duration of innovation processes, pushed by basic technological advancements, make related requirements stricter. Therefore, it is also quite important to develop a new approach, targeting development of basic and vocational education for Net-Living, which is to be considered as an engine for the development of the related “New Living Know-How”, as well as of the conformal “New Making Know-How”.

Furthermore, increasing importance of an approach in terms of ”Translational Research”, to enable short and proficient circuits to continuously address and exploit valuable research advancements, by also involving different actors, as purposely and pro-actively, is needed (Open Net-Living Labs).

Scientific contributions to this Special Issue are expected in order to enrich the above-mentioned eco-systemic view, while providing specific original and valuable results of pertaining research.

Prof. Dr. Dino Giuli
Guest Editor

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