Perspectives on Languages for Specifying Simulation Experiments

While domain specific languages are well established for describing the system of interest in modeling and simulation, the last years have seen increasingly domain specific languages also exploited for specifying experiments. This development, whose application areas range from computational biology to network simulation, is motivated by the desire to facilitate the reproducibility of simulation results. Thereby, the experimentation process is treated as a first class object of simulation studies. As the experimentation process contains different tasks such as configuration, observation, analysis, and evaluation, domain-specific languages can be exploited to specify experiments as well as individual sub-tasks or even the goal of the experiment, thus opening up new avenues of research. The focus of our discussion will be on what information to express, also based on existing approaches. Referring to how to express the required information, we will sketch some of the pros and cons of external and embedded domain specific languages

Improving reproducibility and reuse of modelling results in the life sciences

Research results are complex and include a variety of heterogeneous data. This entails major computational challenges to (i) to manage simulation studies, (ii) to ensure model exchangeability, stability and validity, and (iii) to foster communication between partners. I describe techniques to improve the reproducibility and reuse of modelling results. First, I introduce a method to characterise differences in computational models. Second, I present approaches to obtain shareable and reproducible research results. Altogether, my methods and tools foster exchange and reuse of modelling results.Die verteilte Entwicklung von komplexen Simulationsstudien birgt eine große Zahl an informationstechnischen Herausforderungen: (i) Modelle müssen verwaltet werden; (ii) Reproduzierbarkeit, Stabilität und Gültigkeit von Ergebnissen muss sichergestellt werden; und (iii) die Kommunikation zwischen Partnern muss verbessert werden. Ich stelle Techniken vor, um die Reproduzierbarkeit und Wiederverwendbarkeit von Modellierungsergebnissen zu verbessern. Meine Implementierungen wurden erfolgreich in internationalen Anwendungen integriert und fördern das Teilen von wissenschaftlichen Ergebnissen

Reusing simulation experiments for model composition and extension

This thesis aims to reuse simulation experiments to support developing models via model reuse, with a focus on validating the resulting model. Individual models are annotated with their simulation experiments. Upon reuse of those models for building new ones, the associated simulation experiments are also reused and executed with the new model, to inspect whether the key behavior exhibited by the original models is preserved or not in the new model. Hence, the changes of model behavior resulting from the model reuse are revealed, and insights into validity of the new model are provided

Toward composing variable structure models and their interfaces: a case of intensional coupling definitions

In this thesis, we investigate a combination of traditional component-based and variable structure modeling. The focus is on a structural consistent specification of couplings in modular, hierarchical models with a variable structure. For this, we exploitintensional definitions, as known from logic, and introduce a novel intensional coupling definition, which allows a concise yet expressive specification of complex communication and interaction patterns in static as well as variable structure models, without the need to worryabout structural consistency.In der Arbeit untersuchen wir ein Zusammenbringen von klassischer komponenten-basierter und variabler Strukturmodellierung. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf der Spezifikation von strukturkonsistenten Kopplungen in modular-hierarchischen Modellen mit einer variablen Struktur. Dafür nutzen wir intensionale Definitionen, wie sie aus der Logik bekannt sind, und führen ein neuartiges Konzept von intensionalen Kopplungen ein, welches kompakte gleichzeitig ausdrucksstarke Spezifikationen von komplexen Kommunikations- und Interaktionsmuster in statischen und variablen Strukturmodellen erlaubt