OSCAR: Operational System Context Acquisition and Representation

A framework links functions, structures, environment and time to model how operational context changes a sociotechnical system. Air traffic example.
Human-System Integration
Context
Framework
Authors

Alexandre Disdier

Dimitri Masson

Published

January 14, 2026

Doi

10.1109/IEEECONF67861.2026.11440811

HAL

hal-05574472

Abstract

Sociotechnical systems are characterized by complex and emergent behaviors shaped by their interactions with the context in which they operate. Despite advances in Systems Engineering and Human Systems Integration, the concept of operational context remains underdeveloped and insufficiently integrated into modeling practices. This gap hinders the ability of designers to capture contextual dynamics of a system during early-stage design processes. To address this, we propose the OSCAR (Operational System Context Acquisition and Representation) framework, which formalizes the relationship between the four spaces inherent to complex sociotechnical systems: functions, structures, environment, and their evolution over time. By distinguishing and connecting these four spaces, OSCAR enables the systematic representation of how contextual elements interact with a system of interest during operations and how they evolve towards new situations. We illustrate applicability of the proposed framework through an air traffic control example and discuss how it could be harnessed within practical approaches to sociotechnical system design.

HAL

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@inproceedings{disdier2026_OSCAROperational,
  author = {Disdier, Alexandre and Masson, Dimitri},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  title = {OSCAR: {Operational} {System} {Context} {Acquisition} and
    {Representation}},
  booktitle = {2026 International Workshop on Systems Engineering
    Research},
  pages = {1-8},
  url = {https://dhmmasson.github.io/publications/disdier2026_OSCAROperational.html},
  doi = {10.1109/IEEECONF67861.2026.11440811},
  isbn = {979-8-3315-5592-4},
  langid = {en}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
Disdier, A., & Masson, D. (n.d.). OSCAR: Operational System Context Acquisition and Representation. 2026 International Workshop on Systems Engineering Research, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEECONF67861.2026.11440811