Organic Computing

'''Organic Computing''' is a German Initiative launched by the two
German national computer societies GI (German Informatics Society) and 
ITG (Informationstechnische Gesellschaft), and a group of researchers 
from three German universities (Universität Hannover, Universität Karlsruhe 
and Universität Augsburg). It defines an Organic Computing 
system as "a technical system which adapts dynamically to the current conditions of its
environment. It is self-organizing, self-optimizing, self-configuring, self-healing, 
self-protecting, self-describing, self-explaining and context-aware”.
Thus it is very similar to IBM's [[Autonomic Computing|autonomic computing]] Initiative,
which also is based on systems with [[Self-* Properties]].
Like Autonomic Computing, it is a vision for future information 
processing systems.

While Autonomic Computing focuses mainly on servers, computing centers
and large-scale Internet software,
Organic Computing aims at the development of robust, flexible
and highly adaptive embedded systems, [[Ubiquitous Computing]] and
Hardware (Embedded Processors, Microcontroller, etc.).

== History - Organic IT vision ==

The idea of organic computing and [[Autonomic Computing|autonomic computing]] goes 
back to research reports from Forrester. In a report from April 2002 about 
''Organic IT'', the report defines ''Organic IT'' as a "Computing infrastructure 
built on cheap, redundant components that automatically shares and manages 
enterprise computing resources -- software, processors, storage, and 
networks -- across all applications within a datacenter".

The vision of ''Organic IT '' is based on a next-generation data center 
architecture, and was the precursor for the
organic computing and [[Autonomic Computing|autonomic computing]] initiatives.
Forrester has proposed for example the "principle of least escalation", 
meaning that in an layered organic architecture with many management 
layers the lowest capable level solves urging problems immediately and 
informs the higher levels later (similar to biological reflexes).

Like many of the later initiatives and visions, ''Organic IT'' envisioned
an IT architecture which solves the basic problems in many
[[Distributed System|distributed systems]], namely
[[Fault Tolerance|fault tolerance]], [[Failover|failover]], 
[[Flexibility|flexibility]], [[Robustness|robustness]], [[Scalability|scalability]]
with the help of [[Self-Star Properties|self-* properties]] and [[redundancy]].
[[Scalability|Scalability]] for instance means that applications can scale up 
and down to match demand, [[Robustness|robustness]] and [[Fault Tolerance|fault tolerance]] 
(including failover and recovery) mean an application can run 24/7, 
non-stop 24 hours per day and seven days a week,
[[Flexibility|flexibility]] means automated server provisioning, application
installation and maintenance.

== Objectives ==

The objective of Organic Computing is the technical usage of principles
observed in natural systems, to create biologically inspired life-like 
computer systems. As computers and the tasks they perform become increasingly 
complex, researchers are looking to nature -- as model and as 
metaphor -- for inspiration.

There are many examples how biology has alredy been affecting 
computer science. Many attempts exist for example to develop artificial neural networks,
evolvable hardware, evolutionary algorithms, nanoscale self-assembly, and security systems 
that mimic nature's immune systems (see the book "Imitation of Life" by Nancy Forbes).

The overall objectives of organic computing are the same goals 
as in biologically inspired computing: 
* the use of biology as a metaphor or inspiration for the development of algorithms and systems; 
* the construction of information processing systems that use biological materials or are modeled on biological processes, or both; 
* the effort to understand how biological organisms "compute," or process information.

== Biologically Inspired Computing ==

Another name for Organic Computing is '''biologically inspired computing'''
or short bio-inspired computing. Organic means having properties 
associated with living organisms: 
its original meaning is "Part of or derived from living matter".
Organic Computing is the use of the self-* principles found in organic, 
living and evolving systems (self-management, self-organization and 
self-healing) to reach scaleability, robustness and autonomy.
Organic systems grow, change, evolve, suffer illnesses and recover 
again. They are robust and flexible. If organic computing can
identify and use some of the basic principles behind organic
systems to reach similar properties in artificial systems, then
this would be a success.

Biological [[Evolution|evolution]] has managed to produce a
wide variety of complex organisms and lifeforms that build, 
adapt, repair and reproduce themselves.
There have always been similarities, exchange and overlap between
the worlds of biology and computer science. The basic terminology
of viruses and infection in the field of computer security
is borrowed from biology, and the modern biomedicine and molecular 
biology would not be possible without computers at all.

By studying biological phenomena such as brains, swarming insects, 
evolution and immune systems, scientists try to make computers 
do the same sorts of things and to reach the same amount of
flexibility and robustness. Using ideas from biology to improve
artificial systems can be a useful way to stimulate thought
and to inspire new architectures. Biologically inspired computing
methods and systems are:

* Reinforcement Learning
* Neural Networks
* Evolutionary Computing
* Swarm Intelligence and Collective Systems
* Artificial Immune Systems
* DNA Computing and Biological Haardware
* Biologically Inspired Robotics

== Papers ==

* [http://www.gi-ev.de/download/VDE-ITG-GI-Positionspapier%20Organic%20Computing.pdf Positionspapier Organische Computersysteme (German)]

* [http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/bio/Embryonics_ProcIEEE.pdf D. Mange et al., Toward robust integrated circuits: The embryonics approach], Proc. of the IEEE, vol. 88, no. 4 (2000) 516-541

== Books ==

Nancy Forbes, ''Imitation of Life : How Biology Is Inspiring Computing'', The MIT Press, 2004, ISBN 0262062410

== Links ==

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biologically-inspired_computing Biologically-inspired computing]

* [http://www.cs.unibo.it/bison/index.shtml BISON Biology-Inspired techniques for Self-Organization in dynamic Networks]

* [http://www.organic-computing.org/ The Organic Computing Home Page]

* [http://www.informatik.uni-augsburg.de/lehrstuehle/sik/research/organiccomputing/ Organic Computing @ University of Augsburg]


[[Category:x-Computing_Techniques]]