Cal-IT2 is an international partnership researching physically-coupled distributed embedded systems for large-scale societal applications. The goal is to develop robust and adaptable solutions for infrastructure like transportation and healthcare. Challenges include integrating highly distributed complex systems and legacy systems. Researchers from technology, policy, and industry are collaborating on projects in areas like energy, transportation, and structural health monitoring using sensors and predictive modeling. The community aims to autonomously respond to unexpected events through distributed computing, situational awareness, and adaptive resource management to address issues like hazard response.