Biologically-inspired analysis in the real world: computing, informatics, and ecologies of use

Abstract

Biological metaphors abound in computational modeling and simulation, inspiring creative and novel approaches to conceptualizing, representing, simulating and analyzing a wide range of phenomena. Proponents of this research suggest that biologically-inspired informatics have practical national security importance, because they represent a new way to analyze sociopolitical dynamics and trends, from terrorist recruitment to cyber warfare. However, translating innovative basic research into useful, usable, adoptable, and trustworthy tools that benefit the daily work of national security experts is challenging. Drawing on several years' worth of ethnographic fieldwork among national security experts, this paper suggests that information ecology, activity theory, and participatory modeling provide theoretical frameworks and practical suggestions to support design and development of useful, usable, and adoptable modeling and simulation approaches for complex national security challenges. Background