Epoch Era Analysis (EEA) Education for the Future of

Information Technology Infrastructure

Epoch Era Analysis (EEA) is method in Systems Engineering that allows various outcomes to be
modeled. It analyzes systems and their components based on context. A description of EEA is
found in the paper “Considerations for an Extended Framework for Interactive Epoch-Era
Analysis”

“Epoch-Era Analysis (EEA) is a framework designed to clarify the effects of changing contexts over time on the
perceived value of a system in a structured way. The base unit of time in EEA is the epoch, which is defined as a
time period of fixed needs and context in which the system exists. Epochs are represented using a set of epoch
variables, which can be continuous or discrete values.” (Scott, 2015)

In terms of the future of infrastructure with respect to information technology, what is proposed
is an online learning program where educators throughout the world would have the resources to
familiarize young learners on IT for infrastructure by means of EEA methods, using the
fundamental skills young learners are introduced to in school. The following likely describe this
best:

Epoch-Era Analysis (EEA) is a framework designed to clarify the effects of changing contexts over time on the
perceived value of a system in a structured way:

Young learners will be the future of the workforce in IT infrastructure. For early learners,
context is an important concept. Water in a lake is different than water in a flood in the village.
This is obvious, but this exercise helps children in preschool to develop their verbal skills.
A motor in a car is in a context of being inside the car, under the hood. With perceived value,
the motor is important to the driver. Driving in the rain is an environment context, no gasoline is
a supply context.
EEA is a method to determine the possible outcomes of various parameters.
In terms of infrastructure, IT manages various components of communities simultaneously.
A change in the condition of a bridge can create multiple possible outcomes to the area around
the bridge. EEA allows computers to assess what the outcomes may be.
Another example would be data security, a factory could be hacked and the output have the
factory could be damaged. What is proposed is creating the teaching resources for school
children to understand to proactive methodologies that can be implemented to prevent this from
occurring in the infrastructure system. Again, this would be introduced in a way that is
streamlined with the curriculum of early learners:

Computers can communicate in encrypted messages. They use random numbers. To explain
randomness, (going back to EEA ideas) a car could have motor problems while in the rain, it
could motor problems on a sunny day….which event takes place is random. Computers can
generate the random outcomes of an event as well as generate random numbers for data security.
Component Thinking

A typical question on the Scholastic Aptitude Test is likely something like the following:

A wheel is to a car as a wing is to an Airplane

By understanding parts to the main item, students can enhance their logical thinking.

What is proposed is a method to prepare future infrastructure stakeholders and developers to

become familiarized with EEA and related systems by means of component/item logic.
With the bridge, the components can be placed in the context of being parts of a bridge in the
EEA model. Risk mitigation is enhanced by computers being able to predict the various
outcomes if one part were to break.