Modeling for Decision Support in Network-Based Services

Book excerpt: This book originated from several recent workshops and related activities conducted by the IFIP Working Group 7.6 on "Optimization-Based Computer Aided Modeling and Design." This group has been active for 20 years with the stated objective of developing ”high-performance computer-aided systems to support modeling, decision analysis, optimization and multi-criteria decision making.” Recently, the group has turned its attention to the application of modeling and optimization to service science, management and engineering (SSME). SSME is still a young research field searching for its theoretical underpinnings, and one which offers many opportunities for analytical modeling to not only advance the understanding, but also to help form the foundation of a new discipline. This book is the result of the group's introductory foray into the application of quantitative modeling to the nascent field of service science with special emphasis on the network aspects of services. The 11 papers presented are grouped into sections on Network Science, Comptational and Analytical Modeling, and Knowledge Science. They showcase the value of modeling in a new and timely context and provide many seeds for further exciting research.