In a 2008 review article in the Communications of the ACM entitled "The Many Facets of Natural Computing" (vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 72-83; fuller version here), Lila Kari and Grzegorz Rozenberg characterize natural computing as “a highly interdisciplinary field that connects the natural sciences with computing science,” “the field of research that investigates models and computational techniques inspired by nature and . . . attempts to understand the world around us in terms of information processing.” Major strands of natural computing include (1) computational techniques that are inspired by natural phenomena, (2) computing paradigms implemented with natural materials, and (3) information processing that takes place in nature. The field has been developing and expanding for over 20 years; its literature is vast; and many dedicated conferences take place every year.
Although the DDC had not previously provided for natural computing as an integrated field of research, many of its topics had long been recognized, in many cases having been mapped to 006.3 Artificial intelligence or its subdivisions. While close ties exist between artificial intelligence and natural computing, neither is included within the other. Hence, with the expansion for natural computing at 006.38, the caption at 006.3 became Artificial intelligence and natural computing. An example of literature that should be classed at 006.38 Natural computing is Handbook of natural computing. (Because this expansion is recent, we cannot yet point to representative literature classed in all the new numbers; in some cases, we rely instead on clear cases of literature that would be classed in that number if they were being classified today.)
The development under 006.38 consists of two branches, 006.382 Nature-inspired models and techniques of computation and 006.384 Computing with natural materials, corresponding to the first two strands of natural computing noted above, respectively.
Examples of works (to be) classed in the first branch include the following:
- DDC class: 006.382
- Caption: Nature-inspired models and techniques of computation
- Representative work: Biologically-inspired techniques for knowledge discovery and data mining
- Relevant note: Class here biologically-inspired computing
- DDC class: 006.3822
- Caption: Cellular automata
- Representative work: Cellular automata in image processing and geometry
- DDC class: 006.3823
- Caption: Evolutionary computation
- Representative work: Evolutionary algorithms in theory and practice: evolution strategies, evolutionary programming, genetic algorithms
- Relevant note: Class here genetic algorithms, genetic programming [both formerly 006.3], evolutionary programming
- DDC class: 006.3824
- Caption: Swarm intelligence
- Representative work: Emerging research on swarm intelligence and algorithm optimization
- DDC class: 006.3825
- Caption: Artificial immune systems
- Representative work: Immunocomputing: principles and applications
- Relevant note: Class here immunocomputing
- DDC class: 006.3826
- Caption: Artificial life
- Representative work: Artificial life: borrowing from biology: 4th Australian conference, ACAL 2009, Melbourne, Australia, December 1-4, 2009: proceedings
Examples of works (to be) classed in the second branch include the following:
- DDC class: 006.3842
- Caption: Molecular computing
- Representative work: DNA computing and molecular programming: 19th International Conference, DNA 19, Tempe, AZ, USA, September 22-27, 2013: Proceedings
- Relevant note: Class here biochemical computing, DNA computing
- DDC class: 006.3843
- Caption: Quantum computing
- Representative work: Computing with quantum cats: from Colossus to Qubits
The literature for the third strand of natural computing—information processing in nature—is more biologically-oriented than computationally- oriented. Accordingly, the class-here note at 570 Biology reads “Class here life sciences, information processing in nature.” A scatter-see reference there gives the following instructions to the classifier: “For information processing associated with a specific natural phenomenon, see the phenomenon, e.g., cellular computing 571.6, gene regulatory networks 572.865.” Therefore, The regulatory genome: gene regulatory networks in development and evolution is classed at 572.865 Gene expression (“Class here genetic regulation, regulation of gene expression”).
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