Systems-of-Systems for Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Mapping Study

2025-02-27

AI Summary

This study addresses the lack of generalized, systematic knowledge integration for Systems of Systems (SoS) in environmental sustainability. It conducts the first structured mapping study (SMS) encompassing the full spectrum of SoS—not merely subcategories such as smart cities. Leveraging automated searches across four academic databases and rigorous screening, the study identifies 39 high-quality publications from an initial pool of 926. It systematically analyzes SoS applications across carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and biodiversity conservation; identifies cross-cutting challenges—including interoperability and data governance; and reveals critical research gaps. Findings indicate dominance by smart cities and smart grids, while emerging domains—such as sustainable agriculture and wildfire management—remain severely underexplored. Based on this analysis, the study proposes six targeted future research directions, offering both a theoretical framework and practical guidance for advancing SoS-enabled environmental sustainability.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Internet of Things, Sensor Networks & Smart Cities
• Multiagent Systems: Applications
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Sustainability and carbon-aware systems for Web, mobile, and WoT
• Social Networks and Social Media: Socio-technical web-based systems
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Vertical and domain-specific search

Abstract

Environmental sustainability in Systems-of-Systems (SoS) is an emerging field that seeks to integrate technological solutions to promote the efficient management of natural resources. While systematic reviews address sustainability in the context of Smart Cities (a category of SoS), a systematic study synthesizing the existing knowledge on environmental sustainability applied to SoS in general does not exist. Although literature includes other types of sustainability, such as financial and social, this study focuses on environmental sustainability, analyzing how SoS contribute to sustainable practices such as carbon emission reduction, energy efficiency, and biodiversity conservation. We conducted a Systematic Mapping Study to identify the application domains of SoS in sustainability, the challenges faced, and research opportunities. We planned and executed a research protocol including an automated search over four scientific databases. Of 926 studies retrieved, we selected, analyzed, and reported the results of 39 relevant studies. Our findings reveal that most studies focus on Smart Cities and Smart Grids, while applications such as sustainable agriculture and wildfire prevention are less explored. We identified challenges such as system interoperability, scalability, and data governance. Finally, we propose future research directions for SoS and environmental sustainability.

Problem

• Investigates environmental sustainability in Systems-of-Systems
• Identifies challenges like system interoperability and scalability
• Proposes future research directions for SoS sustainability

Innovation

• Systematic Mapping Study
• Smart Cities focus
• Automated database search