A Hierarchical Classification of Technological Capabilities

Individuals and society seek services available from technological systems. Such services range from the most essential and basic to the most esoteric, and services beyond the capability of current technologies can also be envisaged. The concept of a hierarchical categorization of service-needs has been widely used and examined within the behavioral/motivational, social, and medical fields. This article examines a proposed hierarchical categorization of services available from technological systems. Applications to preparations for orderly disaster recovery are examined, as is the value of graceful degradation and disaster/catastrophe distinction.