5 Conclusion
In this chapter we have argued that complex systems exhibit behaviour at many different time levels and that a useful aid in structuring, describing and specifying such behaviour is to use time bands. Viewing a system as a collection of activities within a finite set of bands is an effective means of separating concerns and identifying inconsistencies between different ‘layers’ of the system. Time bands are not mapped on to a single notion of physical time. Within a system there will always be a relation between bands but the bands need not be tightly synchronised. There is always some level of imprecision between any two adjacent bands. Indeed the imprecision may be large in social systems and be a source of dependability (robustness).
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Burns, A., Baxter, G. (2006). Time bands in systems structure. In: Besnard, D., Gacek, C., Jones, C.B. (eds) Structure for Dependability: Computer-Based Systems from an Interdisciplinary Perspective. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-84628-111-3_4
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