Visual Interactive Simulation Research Articles

Designing Effective Simulation-based Decision Support Systems: An Empirical Assessment of Three Types of Decision Support Systems

This paper addresses the design of effective simulation-based decision support systems (DSS). An experiment was conducted using three different DSS tools developed around three types of simulation model—traditional, conventional visual interactive simulation (VIS), and ‘paired-systems’ VIS. Subjects were asked to perform a decision making task and their performance was evaluated. Subjects who used the DSS based on a ‘paired systems’ VIS model were found to be both the most effective and the most efficient at the problem-solving task. Subjects provided with the DSS based upon a conventional VIS model were found to be more effective at the task than the group provided with the traditional simulation-based DSS.

Designing Effective Simulation-based Decision Support Systems: An Empirical Assessment of Three types of Decision Support Systems

This paper addresses the design of effective simulation-based decision support systems (DSS). An experiment was conducted using three different DSS tools developed around three types of simulation model—traditional, conventional visual interactive simulation (VIS), and ‘paired-systems’ VIS. Subjects were asked to perform a decision making task and their performance was evaluated. Subjects who used the DSS based on a ‘paired systems’ VIS model were found to be both the most effective and the most efficient at the problem-solving task. Subjects provided with the DSS based upon a conventional VIS model were found to be more effective at the task than the group provided with the traditional simulation-based DSS.

Visual interactive simulation: A methodological perspective

The ideas and methods of Visual Interactive Simulation (VIS) are nearly fifteen years old, yet are still often misunderstood or misrepresented. It is argued that VIS is primarily a methodology, a way of solving problems with simulation modeling, not necessarily a way of building simulation models. Two distinct methodologies are identified, namely active and passive VIS. It is shown that simulation languages and packages tend to implicitly employ a particular methodology, and that each approach requires a different problem-solving life cycle. Present research, and necessary future research, are reviewed from our methodological perspective.

Decision Support for the Design of a New Production Plant Using Visual Interactive Simulation

Following promising results in test markets and successful pilot-scale manufacturing, the Board of a major Canadian manufacturer took the decision to proceed to develop the design for a full-scale production plant for a new advanced-technology product. The success of this new product was seen as critical to the Company's future, but Company personnel had limited experience with the new production technology and with the design of plants of this large scale. Finally, competitors from the USA and Europe were known to be working on similar products resulting in a sense of urgency in getting the product to the marketplace. A visual interactive decision support system built around a simulation model was developed using a methodology designed to help management understand the plant design issues and to help them resolve various key plant design options. When completed, the model gave management a tool which was used to analyse alternative plant designs and different production and manpower scheduling scenarios under a broad range of production conditions. The intensity of worldwide competition in this new product market, and the critical importance of this product to this Canadian corporation, have led to the decision to omit the name of the corporation from this article. In addition, certain production details have been disguised.

Decision Support for the Design of a New Production Plant Using Visual Interactive Simulation

Following promising results in test markets and successful pilot-scale manufacturing, the Board of a major Canadian manufacturer took the decision to proceed to develop the design for a full-scale production plant for a new advanced-technology product. The success of this new product was seen as critical to the Company's future, but Company personnel had limited experience with the new production technology and with the design of plants of this large scale. Finally, competitors from the USA and Europe were known to be working on similar products resulting in a sense of urgency in getting the product to the marketplace. A visual interactive decision support system built around a simulation model was developed using a methodology designed to help management understand the plant design issues and to help them resolve various key plant design options. When completed, the model gave management a tool which was used to analyse alternative plant designs and different production and manpower scheduling scenarios under a broad range of production conditions. The intensity of worldwide competition in this new product market, and the critical importance of this product to this Canadian corporation, have led to the decision to omit the name of the corporation from this article. In addition, certain production details have been disguised.

Decision Support for the Design of a New Production Plant Using Visual Interactive Simulation

Decision Support for the Design of a New Production Plant Using Visual Interactive Simulation

Visual interactive simulation and artificial intelligence in design of flexible manufacturing systems

The design of flexible manufacturing systems is a complex decision-making process that typically involves the evaluation of a number of different design alternatives. The evaluation is often performed using modelling and simulation techniques. The role of visual interactive modelling and simulation in design of flexible manufacturing systems is discussed. The application of artificial intelligence techniques to implement a set of knowledge sources, used for accomplishment of various design activities, is described. An object-orientated implementation is used to illustrate the underlying concepts.

A DSS for production planning

This paper presents a decision support system designed to aid the production planner in choosing the values of the principle parameters governing just-in-time manufacturing. The DSS uses a knowledge base composed of data from simulations of the production of the entire product line under systematically varied conditions. The planners may add data from actual production experience as it is obtained. The stochastic dominance outranking method of Martel and Zaras allows the identification of clusters of parameters that respect the preferences of the decision maker. When launching an order for a product, the decision maker may judge certain sets of parameters to be equivalent. A visual interactive simulation model will then allow their comparison according to three performance criteria.

A DSS for Production Planning

This paper presents a decision support system designed to aid the production planner in choosing the values of the principle parameters governing just‐in‐time manufacturing. The DSS uses a knowledge base composed of data from simulations of the production of the entire product line under systematically varied conditions. The planners may add data from actual production experience as it is obtained. The stochastic dominance outranking method of Martel and Zaras allows the identification of clusters of parameters that respect the preferences of the decision maker. When launching an order for a product, the decision maker may judge certain sets of parameters to be equivalent. A visual interactive simulation model will then allow their comparison according to three performance criteria.

An introduction to visual interactive simulation in business

In business, the use of visual interactive simulation (VIS) can lead to significant benefits: improved efficiency, reduced costs and increased profitability. However, these benefits are rarely attained since only a few managers are aware of the technology. This paper discusses simulation with reference to VIS, its benefits and the range of applications for which it can be used. The paper concludes with a discussion on the VIS software available.

Stimulating good simulation

Visual Interactive Simulation has reached the stage where its use is becoming commonplace in manufacturing and widespread in other sectors. Current software makes model building relatively straightforward, but little attention has so far been given to producing tools to assist in experimentation beyond automatic run replication and report generation. A series of interviews with selected experts and users suggests that many simulation practitioners just rely on gut feel and rule of thumb in the choice of warm-up times, run lengths and numbers of replications. This article argues that it is time for a simple methodology of experimentation to be developed with real users in mind.

Using 3D Animation Techniques to Help with the Experimental Design and Analysis Phase of a Visual Interactive Simulation Project

This paper describes an interactive 3D animation approach that may help with the investigation, understanding and interpretation of results for a Visual Interactive Simulation (VIS) project. The method uses a graphics algorithm to draw on a computer screen ‘3D contour maps’ which show the response of a simulation model to changes in its input parameters. A previous paper showed that it is possible for a neural network to learn the response of a simulation. This paper shows that the speed of response of a neural network can be exploited so that 3D animation sequences of the simulation's results can be produced. It is possible to rotate the ‘3D contour map’, zoom, pan, or generally view the projection from different perspectives. Two example problems are described. The paper suggests that this approach can further improve the quality of VIS by being able to give comprehensive graphic 3D sensitivity analyses to the original problem under investigation.

Using 3D Animation Techniques to Help with the Experimental Design and Analysis Phase of a Visual Interactive Simulation Project

Using 3D Animation Techniques to Help with the Experimental Design and Analysis Phase of a Visual Interactive Simulation Project

Using 3D Animation Techniques to Help with the Experimental Design and Analysis Phase of a Visual Interactive Simulation Project

Using 3D Animation Techniques to Help with the Experimental Design and Analysis Phase of a Visual Interactive Simulation Project

Developing a Visual Interactive Simulation Model for Flexible Manufacturing Systems

Describes how to develop a visual interactive simulation model for flexible manufacturing systems. SIMPLE_1, an integrated modelling environment, is selected as the simulation language due to several of its innovative features. A physical simulator for a flexible manufacturing system is also chosen as the target to demonstrate the modelling process of the visual interactive simulation. The results of this study may provide industrial designers with a design and planning tool.

A User-Centered Paradigm for Interactive Simulation

Computer software for modelling dynamic systems has existed for over three decades. During this period, computer modelling and simulation have been enhanced by powerful simulation languages, graphical modelling techniques, and statistical techniques. A recent trend in simulation software develop ment has been the addition of many analysis tools to existing simulation languages. An examination of these tools indicates that they are predominantly independent of the application area for which the simulation language is designed, suggesting that a general library of simulation analysis tools should be created for use with several simulation languages. A user-centered approach to simulation software design provides an application- independent description of the model analyst's needs. This description is the basis for a general environment within which simulation languages and models may be implemented, and prevents the redundant coding of application-oriented simulation software. It improves on the traditional language-centered approach, which first describes a simulation system in terms of an application language, and considers the experimental interface as secondary. This paper motivates and describes the design of user-centered software for visual interactive simulation.

A system for building interactive visual simulator of digital hardware

AbstractA digital system software simulator can provide high level support for testing and debugging of firmware using graphical user interfaces which perform visualization of the hardware model. Since sufficient knowledge of the target hardware is required for the development of a simulator, a simulator is usually developed by a hardware engineer, even though the hardware engineer may not have enough knowledge for building interactive graphical user interfaces. Therefore, it is not easy for a hardware engineer to develop a visual simulator using graphical user interfaces. In this paper, a new system for building interactive visual simulators and an example of its application are presented. In this system, an object‐oriented simulator kernel is introduced for separation of hardware description and user interface implementation. This kernel is built based on an object‐oriented method, and it provides common functions for hardware modeling and user interfaces, such, as an event driven mechanism. Layered on this kernel, an object‐oriented hardware description language and a user interface description language are implemented. By this approach, both hardware descriptions and user interfaces have a high level software reusability. Therefore, a hardware engineer can develop an interactive visual simulator by describing only the hardware model. Furthermore, by using user interface description language, a hardware engineer can customize a graphical user interface according to the purpose of simulation.

Using a Neural Network to Enhance the Decision Making Quality of a Visual Interactive Simulation Model

The use of a neural network to represent the results of a simulation model is described. The neural network is implemented as an interaction within a visual interactive simulation model. All results obtained from the simulation are offered to the neural network. After a suitable period of training the quality of results obtained from the network matches those obtained by running the original simulation model. An example which embeds a neural network as an interaction within a visual interactive simulation model is described. The example shows how the combined system may enhance the decision making quality of a visual interactive simulation model.

The Use of Computer Aided Design Techniques in Configuring Visual Interactive Simulation Models for Warehouse Design

ABSTRACT Visual Interactive Simulation (VIS) is a simulation technique which generates a dynamic display of the model and enables the user to interact with the model while the simulation is running. AWARD (Advanced Warehouse Design) is a VIS system that has been developed by an international consortium of academic institutions and distribution professionals to allow the evaluation of conventional and automated warehouse systems. AWARD uses Computer Aided Design (CAD) techniques for drawing the warehouse layout and configuring the simulation model. The user has no need for programming skills and a user-friendly interface makes it easy to use. High resolution colour graphics and a scale drawing of the warehouse makes the dynamic display of the model a good representation of the real system. This paper will present the development of AWARD, and will discuss the role of the current version in the overall framework of a Decision Support System for warehouse design. The advantages of data-driven generic models as a decision making tool will be highlighted and the use of high-resolution graphics, animation and interactive techniques for improving the communication between the user and the model will be discussed.

Interaction with a visual interactive simulation, and the effect of cognitive style

Despite the considerable folklore surrounding Visual Interactive Simulation (VIS), there is little published empirical evidence concerning how users interact with models, what displays they require, and how well they perform with them. This paper reports an initial experiment into user interaction with a VIS. Twenty-five subjects were asked to ‘solve’ a service capacity and allocation problem using a VIS model that provided three separate displays: an animation, a listing, and a dynamically changing graphic. Use of the model was monitored by the simulation program. Compared to a known optimum, performance with the VIS was mediocre, and there was little evidence that any particular pattern of usage affected performance, although performance and absolute time to solve the problem were significantly correlated. Those who performed well, however, generally had higher confidence in their solution. Further, there was a marked preference for displays, with the listing hardly used, but with users' having a strong preference for either the animation or the graphic. Users' cognitive style was measured, using the Myers-Briggs instrument, and there is some weak evidence that preference for display type can be partially explained by cognitive style.