Paradigms for the conceptualization of Cyber-Physical-Social-Thinking hyperspace: A Thematic Synthesis

Several computing paradigms have emerged along the years integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) as the base to realize the complex hyperspace associated to the ubiquitous Cyber-Physical-Social-Thinking hyperspace that society expects. An overlap of the principles that define those paradigms exists and, despite of previous efforts, a unified and appropriate definition of each of them is still a challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to survey the existing literature about IoT and their related paradigms to obtain a model that provides a definition usable to guide in the selection of that paradigm that fits better the requirements of the system-to-be. For this aim, a rigorous and systematic Thematic Synthesis has been conducted to analyze the most relevant studies of the selected paradigms and specify a model that integrates their definitions, their relations and differences. Furthermore, Cyber-Physical-Social Systems (CPSS) has been identified as the paradigm focusing on social and human factors that better realizes the complex hyperspace of the smart world since it entails relevant and convenient aspects from other paradigms.