LAUSR

Cloud computing (CM) is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, ondemand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storages, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management efforts or service provider intervention. This special issue focuses on an essential application of CM, namely, cloud-based manufacturing and service systems. Research fields critical to the development of cloud-based manufacturing systems include automation, industrial control systems, service composition, flexibility, business models, implementation models, and architecture. However, it is questioned whether cloud-based manufacturing systems are suitable only for small or mid-size enterprises. A capital-intensive business is unreluctant to buy all the necessary systems or equipment, which renders some of the cost-saving incentives insignificant. Additionally, manufacturing operations managers are notably hesitant to migrate systems to clouds. Furthermore, most existing CM technology concerns information technology rather than manufacturing. Nevertheless, the benefits of cloud-based manufacturing systems include cost savings, efficiency, additional data analysis capabilities, flexibility, and closer business relationships. A cloud-based service system performs the difficult task of recommending suitable utilities or services to a mobile user on the basis of the user’s request. First, bulk information may require processing, which renders the reasoning model extremely large. Additionally, such data are dynamic and often incomplete, challenging the adaptability and robustness of the cloud-based service system. Furthermore, users’ preferences for the recommended cloud service are sometimes unclear, vague, inconsistent, and difficult to quantify. Thus, choosing a single performance measure that applies to everyone is a difficult task. Nevertheless, approximately three-quarters of smartphone owners have used cloud-based service systems. This special issue is intended to provide technical details on the development of cloud manufacturing and service systems and the corresponding applications. These details will hold great interest for researchers in systems science, mechanical engineering, service engineering, information engineering, information management, artificial intelligence, and computational intelligence, as well as for practicing