Vehicle System Development: A Challenge of Ultra-Large-Scale Systems

Scale and complexity have been the topical elements of the vehicle system development for years. Whereas traditional systems engineering methods have been believed to be the solution to vehicle design challenges, recent shifts in the vehicle domain question their adequacy. Specifically, the character of vehicle systems, and their development environment, has shifted away from singular-use independent systems to multipurpose collaborating systems. The characteristics of this change are contained within the themes of scale, diversity, and dynamics. Each of these dimensions is contributing to the "wickedness" of vehicle systems in understanding, development, deployment, and maintenance. Such complexity and dynamics of interactions, by both users and developers, make vehicle systems exhibit the characteristics of ultra-large scale (ULS) systems. The scale and concerns of vehicle system development challenge traditional approaches, and demand new fundamental research to reason the design, manage the scale, and create the capability for developing future vehicle systems.