Large Scale Systems

This volume contains the papers presented at the 9th IFAC Symposium on Large Scale Systems: Theory and Applications (LSS 2001), held in Bucharest, Romania, 18-20 July 2001.The Symposium was the latest in a long-running and well-respected series in this key area of IFAC's technical interest. Its aim was to address the control aspects of those industrial, economic, social and environmental systems whose characteristics are high dimensionality, non-linearity and uncertainty, associated with a multitude of structural forms, with intense and time critical information exchange and efficient co-ordination. The Symposium covered all major aspects of large scale, complex systems including methodological aspects, technological solutions and practical applications.The Symposium struck a balance between the technical sessions addressing methodological aspects and those devoted to practical applications. Several invited sessions were organised, including papers from leading world experts.This Proceedings contains the papers ordered in accordance with the technical sessions. Session topics included methodology and application fields, traditional to this Symposium series. Topics covered include the following:Modeling and model reductionDecentralized control and estimationHierarchical controlIntelligent and fuzzy controlNonlinear dynamics in complex systemsComplex systems theory and analysisWater, gas, power systemsLarge scale CIMs and production planning and schedulingCommunication and information systemsTransportation systemsModeling and control of wastewater treatment plantsSocietal systems modeling, planning and management.In addition, several less traditional session topics were included in the technical programme, such as decision support systems and risk and governance in large-scale systems. The new issues, such as risk management and human decision in large-scale systems, were well received by the Symposium participants and provide an extra dimension to this high-quality Proceedings.