VARIETY (Spatial)
Charles François (2004). VARIETY (Spatial), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3734.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3734 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
W.D. GROSSMANN and K.E.F. WATT (1992) introduce the notion of spatial variety which refers to the spatial differentiation within systems, as different from their possible temporal variations, related to ASHBY's variety, and which they call variability.
Spatial variety is defined by a more or less high degree of fineness in spatial differentiation, or, to the contrary to its coarseness. They use the term “grain” in this meaning. The notion is applicable for instance to ecosystems or to human organizations.