Under the guidance of John Poindexter, of Iran-Contra fame, the Defense Department developed the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program last year, a vast computerized database that, according to the official TIA website, utilizes "topsight"—a term coined by tech guru David Gelertner—to enable users "to see the whole thing."

The sheer size, scope and speed of modern warfare requires extensive computerization and networking among forces. With the old three-dimensional battlefield now the four-dimensional battle space of today, with time as an ever more-crucial factor, commanders require real-time "topsight" — a bird's-eye view made possible by wider bandwidth, greater computing power and more creativity than ever.

That topsight is provided by satellites and a combination of high-tech aircraft and unmanned surveillance planes that beam real-time imagery and other data to command centers.

The upper layer deals with the ultimate motivation in building Mirror Worlds—the search for what I will call "topsight." …

Hence, "managing complexity" must be your goal. Or, we can describe exactly the same goal in a more positive light. We can call it the pursuit of topsight. Topsight—an understanding of the big picture—is an essential goal of every software builder.