Objective: Cyberspace Multimodal Complex Systems:
Vision: Information causes culture change and advantages, and how technology is applied.
Legacy: Technology causes culture change and advantages, and how information is applied.
I remain very concerned that there is an oversight/gap in the subject spectrum under cyberspace, virtual reality, cloud, networking-centrics, information technology, information assurance ... ... ....
I will always define Internet as cyberspace Infrastructure (Telecommunications) as an FCC governance domain, and WWW, W3 ..., as cyberspace WebServices (World Culture and Commerce) as DoState governance domain. This is far more logical than present USA cyberspace governance (IMO). Domain Macrocosms (.Gov, .Com, .Mil ...) and cloudy, Intranets, *aaS ... microcosms are collaborative community based Infrastructure and WebServices.
Cyberspace & Cyberwar Essence: Information assurance against loss, denial, corruption ... is the critical priority. Infrastructure for access, storage, distribution ... is the important priority.
Information as material is the oversight/gap (IMO). Until "Information" (data, content, meta* ...) is understood to be the material (cargo, resource, product ...) that justifies all funding, security, value ..., there is (I suspect) very little that can be defined for Cyberspace and Information lifecycle strategies.
Cyberspace makes IT, IA, IM, IS, KM ... feel powerful, ethereal, and elusive. Cyberspace is a good global tag for what needs to be done, as good as other past tags; So, keep the global tag. Clearly define that cyberspace never was or will ever be ethereal a/o elusive. Think digitally defined society, communities, libraries, medical and probate records, Map/GIS data ... ... ... as material (Real, not ethereal) for science, engineering, arts and entertainment, strategy and logistics ... ... ... merchandise (Usable, not elusive) communities.
Cyberspace Information Fundamental Standards (XML, UML, BPMaps ...) make Cyberspace valuable and governable (Information Security/Control) by information steward/owner W3 services applications (DB*, CMS, BWf ...). This is the only way to lockdown information after an adversary gains network/domain access. Cyberspace Catastrophe Recovery needs to focus equally on recovery for information audit/losses and infrastructure (servers, systems, platforms). IOW: Anytime there is infrastructure without commerce (information), there is a risk and waste of money. Information architecture, structure, availability and demands defines how technology needs to be applied for stable long lifecycle collaborative communities, culture, and advantages.
Cyberspace is the "Information" environment. Information is the population of bits, bytes, text, words, pixels ... for sentient relationship families, group associations, collaborative values, community strengths.... Telecommunications, the IT part of the environment is the commerce and transport (bridges, routers, gateway borders, AirPort Base Stations ...) infrastructure with Applications/Programs governing, administrating, controlling flow and tolls in cyberspace. Standards and Protocols are packaging, containers, trucks for moving the products, cargo, and containers across the IT infrastructure. Information Service Applications/Programs (post compile & install) are the information handling and packaging, fuel and tools for production and delivery. IN FACT "Information" is the population (of people, trees, cats, dogs ... music, movies ...) and organic material (not iron, plastic, glass ...) building all cyberspace. IN FACT "Infrastructure" the internet is the very real user connection to an amorphous cyberspace environment frequently populated by equivocal information.
Information is created for human consumption in the real world. Information exist in the cyberspace environment for allocation, aggregating, analysis, augmentation, archiving.... Moving information, material, products from the cyberspace environment to the real environment can happen at almost the speed of light and the complexity of that transport, exchange, transaction ... is every bit as complex and problematic as moving iron ore to a refinery industry, then to a paper clip manufacturer, then to a wholesaler, then to a distributor, then to retail ...; Okay, you get it.
Information has sustenance value for people in the real world. People (home, government, business, military ...) and information are symbiotically related for environment evolution and personal success. If a workflow or Process-Map application is developed, then it is developed for specific information that will be stored, manipulated, augmented to meet Workflow ... Process-Map requirements of the human, organizations, work, and production requirements. Designing "Information Services" architectures to leverage information material by handling/services requirements, specifications and capabilities with the end-item information product clearly understood makes the difference between resources saved and reused –or– GIGO & OneOff waste with escalating cost. Science, technology, industry and business processes, products and systems lifecycles ... all depend on the efficacious availability and sharing of "Information." IOW: IT ain't about the dang systems, platform, services ... technology.
Think about the "information" (as too) what value, what needs, who uses, why needed, how to reuse.... After clearly defining customer, users, employees, community, sources, processes, controls, repositories ... for "INFORMATION" requirements; Then, you can design an information architecture that will have an affordably lifecycle and strategy, and enduringly meet customers'/users' needs for information.
People Need Information. Focusing on why, who, what, when, where ... about the "information needed" is the start of sensible modular complex systems architecture.
If you can mentally see, sense, feel ... cyberspace as an environment, then you are a cyberspace scientist, engineer, architect.... If cyberspace is technology and systems then you are a technology IT, IA, IM ... specialist (brick-layer, carpenter, general contractor ...). As always, in the real environment, both are highly respectable skill sets, but one set can create/design ... strategize; While, the other can build, troubleshoot, repair.... IOW: For cyberwar in a cyberspace you need both type of skill sets.
Vendors must be contractually required to comply with:
(1) "Open" Standards, protocols, Source Code... in hardware, software, information structure.
(2) Unfettered Extensibility of hardware and software platforms, and information products.
(3) Unfettered Information Interoperability.
(4) Unfettered User Information.
(5) Unfettered *aaServices (*) [Software, Platform, BigDB, Information... Everything].
(6) Unfettered cyberspace/cloud environments.
(7) Unfettered "Open" markets lifecycle maintenance and sustainment competition.
(8) Heterogeneous products provide interoperability & extensibility translators/converters.
Organization/Customer must be contractually required to provide audited accountability:
(1) Experienced professional Science & Technology fellows for acceptance of deliverables.
(2) Experienced professional Science & Technology fellows to govern project performance.
Anyway, Obviously, I am interested in the question: What comes first in cyberspace information or technology? Discussion from an anthropology, S&T History ... Ontology ... any direction could be interesting and I hope helpful.
