Grasping the Terminology: Smart Services, Smart Service Systems, and Cyber-Physical Systems

During the past years, we can observe a rise of the concepts service systems, smart service systems, and cyber-physical systems. However, distinct definitions are either very broad or contradict each other. As a result, several characteristics appear around these terms, which also miss distinct allocations and relationships to the underlying concepts. Thus, in order to achieve a common understanding of the terminology used within this book, this chapter defines the concepts of service systems, smart service systems, and cyber-physical systems as well as related characteristics.