  "In the next century, planet earth will don an electronic skin. It will use
the Internet as a scaffold to support and transmit its sensations. This skin is
already being stitched together. It consists of millions of embedded electronic
measuring devices: thermostats, pressure gauges, pollution detectors, cameras,
microphones, glucose sensors, EKGs, electroencephalographs. These will probe
and monitor cities and endangered species, the atmosphere, our ships, highways
and fleets of trucks, our conversations, our bodies--even our dreams ....What
will the earth's new skin permit us to feel? How will we use its surges of
sensation? For several years--maybe for a decade--there will be no central
nervous system to manage this vast signaling network. Certainly there will be
no central intelligence...some qualities of self-awareness will emerge once the
Net is sensually enhanced. Sensuality is only one force pushing the Net toward
intelligence". These statements are quoted by an interview by Cherry Murray,
Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of
Physics. It is interesting to outline the timeliness and highly predicting
power of these statements. In particular, we would like to point to the
relevance of the question "What will the earth's new skin permit us to feel?"
to the work we are going to discuss in this paper. There are many additional
compelling questions, as for example: "How can the electronic earth's skin be
made more resilient?"; "How can the earth's electronic skin be improved to
better satisfy the need of our society?";"What can the science of complex
systems contribute to this endeavour?"
