Extended Relationship Analysis (ERA)

Michael Bieber
bieber@njit.edu
http://www-ec.njit.edu/~bieber
Nancy Coppola
coppola@admin.njit.edu
http://www.njit.edu/msptc/coppola/
Bartel Van De Walle
bartel@njit.edu
http://www-ec.njit.edu/~bartel/

Brian Whitworth
bwhitworth@acm.org
http://ccsweb.njit.edu/~bwhitworth/
New Jersey Institute of Technology
University Heights - Newark, NJ 07102

Surprisingly, few analysis methodologies focus on the interrelationships inside complex systems.   From our work in Relationship Analysis in the field of Information Systems, we found that focusing on the interrelationships gave us an entirely new vantage point of the computer applications we were developing and greatly improved our application designs [Bieber, Yoo].  Experts from the fields of transportation, medicine and natural systems also seemed amazed that no relationship-based analysis existed for their domains either [incubation-grant-proposal].
We believe that the new vantage point that relationship analysis (RA) affords will help people better understand the intricacies and different vantage points of complex systems than conventional analysis methodologies.  It should help experts find hidden problems in their own areas of expertise.  It should give all human stakeholders some direction in resolving problems to the benefit of all stakeholders (human and natural).
Thus, our goals in this research are to:
- help experts analyze their systems in new ways, and find lurking, hidden problems
- help experts and the public understand existing sticky problems in new, helpful ways
- provide input to possible solutions (often new kinds of solutions)
- provide a tool for clearly explaining complex systems to others, including school children
In the proposed research we will:
- Develop and evaluate a generalized systems analysis methodology: Extended Relationship Analysis (ERA).
- Develop guidelines for using ERA to analyze specific domains, especially in the coupling of natural and human systems.
- Develop (a) guidelines for conveying the analysis results and (b) computer simulation tools that can serve both stakeholders and students in understanding a complex domain.

Looking for Collaboration for Full Proposal
As part of developing a full biocomplexity grant proposal, we are looking for collaborators with tough domains where we can apply the ERA analysis.  Please contact us to discuss this possibility!

References
- Bieber, M. and J. Yoo "Hypermedia: A Design Philosophy," ACM Computing Surveys, 31(4es), 1999.
- Yoo, J. (2001). Relationship Analysis.  Ph.D. Thesis, Rutgers University.
- Yoo, J. and M. Bieber (2000). "Finding Linking Opportunities through Relationship-based Analysis," ACM Hypertext 2000 Proceedings, San Antonio, ACM Press, 181-190.