Data-Driven Control: Part One of Two: A Special Issue Sampling from a Vast and Dynamic Landscape

Data-centric and learning-based methods have pervaded all areas of science, engineering, technology, and society at large, including the field of control systems. Whatever is your take on these developments, they cannot be ignored. Recently, a gathering of around a 100 researchers from diverse backgrounds within the IEEE Control Systems Society came together to collaboratively brainstorm about a scientific roadmap for the future of our discipline. I quote from Section 4 of the Control for Societal-Scale Challenges Roadmap 2030 report [1]: