  As noted by Chang, the hypothesis of Self-Organised Criticality provides a
theoretical framework in which the low dimensionality seen in magnetospheric
indices can be combined with the scaling seen in their power spectra and the
recently-observed plasma bursty bulk flows. As such, it has considerable
appeal, describing the aspects of the magnetospheric fuelling:storage:release
cycle which are generic to slowly-driven, interaction-dominated, thresholded
systems rather than unique to the magnetosphere. In consequence, several recent
numerical "sandpile" algorithms have been used with a view to comparison with
magnetospheric observables. However, demonstration of SOC in the magnetosphere
will require further work in the definition of a set of observable properties
which are the unique "fingerprint" of SOC. This is because, for example, a
scale-free power spectrum admits several possible explanations other than SOC.
  A more subtle problem is important for both simulations and data analysis
when dealing with multiscale and hence broadband phenomena such as SOC. This is
that finite length systems such as the magnetosphere or magnetotail will by
definition give information over a small range of orders of magnitude, and so
scaling will tend to be narrowband. Here we develop a simple framework in which
previous descriptions of magnetospheric dynamics can be described and
contrasted. We then review existing observations which are indicative of SOC,
and ask if they are sufficient to demonstrate it unambiguously, and if not,
what new observations need to be made?
