A Connected World: System-Level Support Through Biosensors

Abstract

The goal of protecting the health of future generations is a blueprint for future biosensor design. Systems-level decision support requires that biosensors provide meaningful service to society. In this review, we summarize recent developments in cyber physical systems and biosensors connected with decision support. We identify key processes and practices that may guide the establishment of connections between user needs and biosensor engineering using an informatics approach. We call for data science and decision science to be formally connected with sensor science for understanding system complexity and realizing the ambition of biosensors-as-a-service. This review calls for a focus on quality of service early in the design process as a means to improve the meaningful value of a given biosensor. We close by noting that technology development, including biosensors and decision support systems, is a cautionary tale. The economics of scale govern the success, or failure, of any biosensor system.