Measuring complex patterns in space-time

Complex systems generate complex information structures. Understanding and managing the behavior of systems, including business systems, requires the study of these complex structures to gain greater understanding of the processes and mechanisms at play in their generation, self-replication and evolution. However, the study of the information generated by such complex structures requires going beyond traditional analytical approaches, i.e. many/most of the existing statistical methods. This paper considers the nature of complex systems in information terms and discusses the issues associated with traditional measurement and summary of their information. The paper then introduces new approaches to conceptualizing and measuring data generated by complex social systems that address these issues by mapping the interaction(s) of the systems' agents through space-time.