Model Continuity in Discrete Event Simulation: A Framework for Model-Driven Development of Simulation Models.

Most of the well known modeling and simulation methodologies state the importance of conceptual modeling in simulation studies and they suggest the use of conceptual models during the simulation model development process. However, only a limited number of methodologies refers to howto move from a conceptual model to an executable simulation model. Besides, existing modeling and simulation methodologies do not typically provide a formal method for model transformations between the models in different stages of the development process. Hence, in the current M&S practice, model continuity is usually not fulfilled. In this article, a model driven development framework for modeling and simulation is in order to bridge the gap between different stages of a simulation study and to obtain model continuity. The applicability of the framework is illustrated with a prototype modeling environment and a case study in the discrete event simulation domain

Resource-based modeling and simulation of business processes

International audienceThe simulation-based analysis of business processes (BPs) is a key activity at various phases of the BP lifecycle, from the design phase, to predict the process behavior, down to the execution and improvement phases, to recover from possible performance downgrades and/or improve the process performance. The BP analysis is usually carried out taking as input the BP description in a given BP modeling language. This paper specifically addresses BPs described in BPMN (Business Process Model & Notation) and introduces an approach that exploits both model-driven principles and the DEVS (Discrete Event System Specification) formalism to first annotate the BPMN model with the allocation of task resources described in terms of performance and reliability properties and then transform the annotated BPMN model into a DEVS-based model, which can be eventually executed to get the analysis results of interest. The BPMN annotation is carried out by use of PyBPMN, a lightweight BPMN extension that allows business analysts to specify the allocation of task resources and their properties in terms of both time-related attributes and reliability attributes. The paper overviews the proposed approach and gives the details of the DEVS components that are used to model the behavior of the corresponding BPMN primitives

A Language-centered Approach to support environmental modeling with Cellular Automata

Die Anwendung von Methodiken und Technologien aus dem Bereich der Softwaretechnik auf den Bereich der Umweltmodellierung ist eine gemeinhin akzeptierte Vorgehensweise. Im Rahmen der "modellgetriebenen Entwicklung"(MDE, model-driven engineering) werden Technologien entwickelt, die darauf abzielen, Softwaresysteme vorwiegend auf Basis von im Vergleich zu Programmquelltexten relativ abstrakten Modellen zu entwickeln. Ein wesentlicher Bestandteil von MDE sind Techniken zur effizienten Entwicklung von "domänenspezifischen Sprachen"( DSL, domain-specific language), die auf Sprachmetamodellen beruhen. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt, wie modellgetriebene Entwicklung, und insbesondere die metamodellbasierte Beschreibung von DSLs, darüber hinaus Aspekte der Pragmatik unterstützen kann, deren Relevanz im erkenntnistheoretischen und kognitiven Hintergrund wissenschaftlichen Forschens begründet wird. Hierzu wird vor dem Hintergrund der Erkenntnisse des "modellbasierten Forschens"(model-based science und model-based reasoning) gezeigt, wie insbesondere durch Metamodelle beschriebene DSLs Möglichkeiten bieten, entsprechende pragmatische Aspekte besonders zu berücksichtigen, indem sie als Werkzeug zur Erkenntnisgewinnung aufgefasst werden. Dies ist v.a. im Kontext großer Unsicherheiten, wie sie für weite Teile der Umweltmodellierung charakterisierend sind, von grundsätzlicher Bedeutung. Die Formulierung eines sprachzentrierten Ansatzes (LCA, language-centered approach) für die Werkzeugunterstützung konkretisiert die genannten Aspekte und bildet die Basis für eine beispielhafte Implementierung eines Werkzeuges mit einer DSL für die Beschreibung von Zellulären Automaten (ZA) für die Umweltmodellierung. Anwendungsfälle belegen die Verwendbarkeit von ECAL und der entsprechenden metamodellbasierten Werkzeugimplementierung.The application of methods and technologies of software engineering to environmental modeling and simulation (EMS) is common, since both areas share basic issues of software development and digital simulation. Recent developments within the context of "Model-driven Engineering" (MDE) aim at supporting the development of software systems at the base of relatively abstract models as opposed to programming language code. A basic ingredient of MDE is the development of methods that allow the efficient development of "domain-specific languages" (DSL), in particular at the base of language metamodels. This thesis shows how MDE and language metamodeling in particular, may support pragmatic aspects that reflect epistemic and cognitive aspects of scientific investigations. For this, DSLs and language metamodeling in particular are set into the context of "model-based science" and "model-based reasoning". It is shown that the specific properties of metamodel-based DSLs may be used to support those properties, in particular transparency, which are of particular relevance against the background of uncertainty, that is a characterizing property of EMS. The findings are the base for the formulation of an corresponding specific metamodel- based approach for the provision of modeling tools for EMS (Language-centered Approach, LCA), which has been implemented (modeling tool ECA-EMS), including a new DSL for CA modeling for EMS (ECAL). At the base of this implementation, the applicability of this approach is shown

Computer-aided design for building multipurpose routing processes in discrete event simulation models

Good domain-modeling enables an appropriate separation of concerns that improves quality properties in the simulation models, such as modifiability and maintainability. In this paper, the interplay of abstraction and concreteness in advancing the theory and practice of Modelling and Simulation is improved using the Model-Driven Engineering levels for building simulation models devoted to routing processes. The definition of this type of processes is detailed as a domain-model conceived as an abstraction defined in a graph model. Such abstraction turns into a set of formal simulation models that are (later) translated into an executable implementation. The final simulation models are specified using Routed DEVS formalism. The methodological proposal is accomplished with the development of a Modelling and Simulation graphical software tool that uses the set of models (defined in terms of the Model-Driven Engineering approach) as the core of its operation. This graphical software tool is developed as a plug-in for Eclipse Integrated Development Environment with aims to take advantage of existent Modeling and Simulation software. Therefore, the usefulness of graphical modeling for supporting the development of the simulation models is empowered with a Model-Driven Engineering process. The main benefit obtained when the Model-Driven Engineering approach is used for modeling an abstraction of the final simulation model is a clear reduction of formalization and implementation times.Fil: Blas, María Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño; ArgentinaFil: Gonnet, Silvio Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño; Argentin

An Object-Oriented Framework for Designing Reusable and Maintainable DEVS Models using Design Patterns

Design patterns are well practices to share software development experiences. These patterns allow enhancing reusability, readability and maintainability of architecture and code of software applications. As simulation applies computerized models to produce traces in order to obtain results and conclusions, designers of simulation explored design patterns to make the simulation code more reusable, more readable and easy to maintain, in addition to design complex software oriented simulation modeling. In DEVS (Discrete Event System specification), the designers have successfully designed simulations, frameworks, tools, etc. However, some issues remain still open and should be explored like how a piece of code that implements a set of states, events and transitions may be reused to design a new DEVS model? How may a DEVS model be extended to a new formalism? Etc. In this paper, we address these issues and we propose a set of patterns that may serve as guidelines to designers of DEVS models and its extensions and may contribute to the design of an operational simulation framework. These patterns are inspired partly by the available designs of DEVS community and software engineering developers

WIP on a Coordination Language to Automate the Generation of Co-Simulations

International audienc

Development of a Methodology for Hybrid Metamodeling of Hierarchical Manufacturing Systems Within a Simulation Framework

Industrial Engineering and Managemen

xDEVS: A toolkit for interoperable modeling and simulation of formal discrete event systems

Employing Modeling and Simulation (M&S) extensively to analyze and develop complex systems is the norm today. The use of robust M&S formalisms and rigorous methodologies is essential to deal with complexity. Among them, the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) provides a solid framework for modeling structural, behavior and information aspects of any complex system. This gives several advantages to analyze and design complex systems: completeness, verifiability, extensibility, and maintainability. DEVS formalism has been implemented in many programming languages and executable on multiple platforms. In this paper, we describe the features of an M&S framework called xDEVS that builds upon the prevalent DEVS Application Programming Interface (API) for both modeling and simulation layers, promoting interoperability between the existing platform-specific (C++, Java, Python) DEVS implementations. Additionally, the framework can simulate the same model using sequential, parallel, or distributed architectures. The M&S engine has been reinforced with several strategies to improve performance, as well as tools to perform model analysis and verification. Finally, xDEVS also facilitates systems engineers to apply the vision of model-based systems engineering (MBSE), model-driven engineering (MDE), and model-driven systems engineering (MDSE) paradigms. We highlight the features of the proposed xDEVS framework with multiple examples and case studies illustrating the rigor and diversity of application domains it can support

Parallélisation de simulateur DEVS par métamodélisation et transformation de modèle

This thesis proposes an engineering approach to parallelize existing DEVS simulators without having to modify the algorithms of the initial implementation, but by injecting additional components suitable for inter-component communication protocol into force. The simulation algorithms of these new components called "Coats" are defined.An engineering approach to systematize the passage from one implementation to its counterpart parallel and distributed is then proposed. This approach is based on metamodeling and models transformation principles inspired of Model Driven Engineering (MDE). Its genericity guarantees the reusability with any sequential DEVS simulator.Cette thèse propose une approche d’ingénierie consistant à paralléliser des simulateurs DEVS existants, sans être obligé de modifier les algorithmes de l’implémentation initiale, mais en injectant des composants additionnels adaptés au protocole de communication intercomposants en vigueur. Les algorithmes de simulation de ces nouveaux composants appelés « Manteaux », sont définis. Une démarche d’ingénierie permettant de systématiser le passage d’une implémentation à sa contrepartie parallèle et distribuée est ensuite proposée. Cette démarche s’appuie sur les principes de méta modélisation et de transformation de modèles inspirés de l’Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles (IDM). Sa généricité en garantit la réutilisabilité avec tout simulateur séquentiel DEVS