The nature of data -- from measurements to systems (Q1059058)

The paper represents an excellent survey of a concept concerning data and systems based on irreversible thermodynamics which is viewed according to the modern concept as a generalized network theory, representing not only the pure energetic relations, but also the structure of the system. The paper is of extraordinary value for deeper understanding the concepts of physical and social sciences and mirrors the originality of the author's thinking. A few examples to this: -- data are classified according to the symbolic viewpoint of the Erlanger program of Felix Klein, thus according to its behaviour against some groups of geometrical transformation; -- data are viewed not as isolated entities but as data structures from the viewpoint of a geometric theory of data incorporated in the concept of the programming language APL and in the array theory of Trenchard More; -- through and across variables of network thermodynamics are generally viewed as the synonyms of the extensive and intensive variables of classical physics. Using the concepts of energy content and co-content, the author gives for the notions of extensive and intensive variables a different meaning and divides in this manner physical data into four categories instead of the usual two one; -- the system of relations of network thermodynamic is explained according to Eilenberg and McLane's category theory according to its algebraic structure. The ``arrow diagram'' of Roth obtained in this manner gives a plastic image of the interdependence of the single relations. A further advantage of this treatment is that it gives a direct impulse for the extension of the network concepts as pointed out by Bramin. The whole paper mirrors the author's extraordinary ability to bring together concepts seeming far from each other. We encourage the author to publish the ideas outlined in the paper in a more extended form. Such a work should be a modern Prolegomenon to the noetics of physical and social sciences.