AFME: general systems analysis method
Umberto

The analysis of matter and energy flows consists in studying the way in which matter (including water), energy, and even information and money, move through a system, previously rigorously defined in time and space. AFME also seeks to establish links between :

• the characteristics of the various parts of the system ;

• system structure ;

• the dynamics of its flows;

• and overall system behavior (functions performed, performance, stability, resilience, etc.).

AFME therefore involves the construction of a conceptual model of the system under study, made up of processes, stocks and flows, which makes data coherent and enables hypotheses to be tested.

The physical principle underlying...