In the study of
complex systems
A complex system is a system composed of many components that may interact with one another. Examples of complex systems are Earth's global climate, organisms, the human brain, infrastructure such as power grid, transportation or communication s ...
and
hierarchy theory, the concept of scale refers to the combination of (1) the
level of analysis (for example, analyzing the whole or a specific component of the system); and (2) the level of observation (for example, observing a system as an external viewer or as an internal participant). The scale of analysis encompasses both the analytical choice of how to observe a given system or object of study, and the role of the observer in determining the identity of the system. This analytical tool is central to multi-scale analysis (see for example,
MuSIASEM, land-use analysis).
For example, on at the scale of analysis of a given population of zebras, the number of predators (e.g. lions) determines the number of prey that survives after hunting, while at the scale of analysis of the ecosystem, the availability of prey determines how many predators can survive in a given area. The semantic categories of "prey" and "predator" are not given, but are defined by the observer.
See also
*
Overview effect
References
Complex systems theory
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