An analysis of internal/external event ordering strategies for COTS distributed simulation

Distributed simulation is a technique that is used to link together several models so that they can work together (or interoperate) as a single model. The High Level Architecture (HLA) (IEEE 1516.2000) is the de facto standard that defines the technology for this interoperation. The creation of a distributed simulation of models developed in COTS Simulation Packages (CSPs) is of interest. The motivation is to attempt to reduce lead times of simulation projects by reusing models that have already been developed. This paper discusses one of the issues involved in distributed simulation with CSPs. This is the issue of synchronising data sent between models with the simulation of a model by a CSP, the so-called external/internal event ordering problem. The motivation is that the particular algorithm employed can represent a significant overhead on performance

Profiling research published in the journal of enterprise information management (JEIM)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse research published in the Journal of Enterprise Information Management (JEIM) in the last ten years (1999 to 2008). Design/methodology/approach – Employing a profiling approach, the analysis of the 381 JEIM publications includes examining variables such as the most active authors, geographic diversity, authors' backgrounds, co-author analysis, research methods and keyword analysis. Findings – All the finding are in relation to the period of analysis (1999 to 2008). (a) Research categorised under descriptive, theoretical and conceptual methods is the most dominant research approach followed by JEIM authors. This is followed by case study research. (b) The largest proportion of contributions came from researchers and practitioners with an information systems background, followed by those with a background in business and computer science and IT. (c) The keyword analysis suggests that ‘information systems’, ‘electronic commerce’, ‘internet’, ‘logistics’, ‘supply chain management’, ‘decision making’, ‘small to medium-sized enterprises’, ‘information management’, ‘outsourcing’, and ‘modelling’ were the most frequently investigated keywords. (d) The paper presents and discusses the findings obtained from the citation analysis that determines the impact of the research published in the JEIM. Originality/value – The primary value of this paper lies in extending the understanding of the evolution and patterns of IS research. This has been achieved by analysing and synthesising existing JEIM publications

Speeding-up the execution of credit risk simulations using desktop grid computing: A case study

This paper describes a case study that was undertaken at a leading European Investment bank in which desktop grid computing was used to speed-up the execution of Monte Carlo credit risk simulations. The credit risk simulations were modelled using commercial-off-the-shelf simulation packages (CSPs). The CSPs did not incorporate built-in support for desktop grids, and therefore the authors implemented a middleware for desktop grid computing, called WinGrid, and interfaced it with the CSP. The performance results show that WinGrid can speed-up the execution of CSP-based Monte Carlo simulations. However, since WinGrid was installed on non-dedicated PCs, the speed-up achieved varied according to users’ PC usage. Finally, the paper presents some lessons learnt from this case study. It is expected that this paper will encourage simulation practitioners and CSP vendors to experiment with desktop grid computing technologies with the objective of speeding-up simulation experimentation

Using a desktop grid to support simulation modelling

Simulation is characterized by the need to run multiple sets of computationally intensive experiments. We argue that Grid computing can reduce the overall execution time of such experiments by tapping into the typically underutilized network of departmental desktop PCs, collectively known as desktop grids. Commercial-off-the-shelf simulation packages (CSPs) are used in industry to simulate models. To investigate if Grid computing can benefit simulation, this paper introduces our desktop grid, WinGrid, and discusses how this can be used to support the processing needs of CSPs. Results indicate a linear speed up and that Grid computing does indeed hold promise for simulation

Investigating grid computing technologies for use with commercial simulation packages

As simulation experimentation in industry become more computationally demanding, grid computing can be seen as a promising technology that has the potential to bind together the computational resources needed to quickly execute such simulations. To investigate how this might be possible, this paper reviews the grid technologies that can be used together with commercial-off-the-shelf simulation packages (CSPs) used in industry. The paper identifies two specific forms of grid computing (Public Resource Computing and Enterprise-wide Desktop Grid Computing) and the middleware associated with them (BOINC and Condor) as being suitable for grid-enabling existing CSPs. It further proposes three different CSP-grid integration approaches and identifies one of them to be the most appropriate. It is hoped that this research will encourage simulation practitioners to consider grid computing as a technologically viable means of executing CSP-based experiments faster

Investigating distributed simulation with COTS simulation packages: Experiences with Simul8 and the HLA

Commercial-off-the-shelf simulation packages (CSPs) are used widely in industry. Several research groups are currently working towards the creation of distributed simulation with these CSPs. The motivations to do this are various and are largely unproven as there are very few good examples of this kind of distributed simulation in practice. Our goal is therefore to create a distributed simulation environment using CSPs that will allow end users to make their own decisions as to whether this technology will be useful. This paper presents continuing research in creating such an environment using the CSP Simul8 and the High Level Architecture, the IEEE 1516 standard for distributed simulation. The scope of this paper is limited to the CSPI-PDG Type I Interoperability Reference Model

Modelling very large complex systems using distributed simulation: A pilot study in a healthcare setting

Modern manufacturing supply chains are hugely complex and like all stochastic systems, can benefit from simulation. Unfortunately supply chain systems often result in massively large and complicated models, which even today’s powerful computers cannot run efficiently. This paper presents one possible solution - distributed simulation. This pilot study is implemented in a healthcare setting, the supply chain of blood from donor to recipient

Comparing conventional and distributed approaches to simulation in complex supply-chain health systems

Decision making in modern supply chains can be extremely daunting due to their complex nature. Discrete-event simulation is a technique that can support decision making by providing what-if analysis and evaluation of quantitative data. However, modelling supply chain systems can result in massively large and complicated models that can take a very long time to run even with today's powerful desktop computers. Distributed simulation has been suggested as a possible solution to this problem, by enabling the use of multiple computers to run models. To investigate this claim, this paper presents experiences in implementing a simulation model with a 'conventional' approach and with a distributed approach. This study takes place in a healthcare setting, the supply chain of blood from donor to recipient. The study compares conventional and distributed model execution times of a supply chain model simulated in the simulation package Simul8. The results show that the execution time of the conventional approach increases almost linearly with the size of the system and also the simulation run period. However, the distributed approach to this problem follows a more linear distribution of the execution time in terms of system size and run time and appears to offer a practical alternative. On the basis of this, the paper concludes that distributed simulation can be successfully applied in certain situations

Leveraging simulation practice in industry through use of desktop grid middleware

This chapter focuses on the collaborative use of computing resources to support decision making in industry. Through the use of middleware for desktop grid computing, the idle CPU cycles available on existing computing resources can be harvested and used for speeding-up the execution of applications that have “non-trivial” processing requirements. This chapter focuses on the desktop grid middleware BOINC and Condor, and discusses the integration of commercial simulation software together with free-to-download grid middleware so as to offer competitive advantage to organizations that opt for this technology. It is expected that the low-intervention integration approach presented in this chapter (meaning no changes to source code required) will appeal to both simulation practitioners (as simulations can be executed faster, which in turn would mean that more replications and optimization is possible in the same amount of time) and the management (as it can potentially increase the return on investment on existing resources)

Classification of information systems research revisited: A keyword analysis approach

A number of studies have previously been conducted on keyword analysis in order to provide a comprehensive scheme to classify information systems (IS) research. However, these studies appeared prior to 1994, and IS research has clearly developed substantially since then with the emergence of areas such as electronic commerce, electronic government, electronic health and numerous others. Furthermore, the majority of European IS outlets - such as the European Journal of Information Systems and Information Systems Journal - were founded in the early 1990s, and keywords from these journals were not included in any previous work. Given that a number of studies have raised the issue of differences in European and North American IS research topics and approaches, it is arguable that any such analysis must consider sources from both locations to provide a representative and balanced view of IS classification. Moreover, it has also been argued that there is a need for further work in order to create a comprehensive keyword classification scheme reflecting the current state of the art. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to present the results of a keyword analysis utilizing keywords appearing in major peer-reviewed IS publications after the year 1990 through to 2007. This aim is realized by means of the two following objectives: (1) collect all keywords appearing in 24 peer reviewed IS journals after 1990; and (2) identify keywords not included in the previous IS keyword classification scheme. This paper also describes further research required in order to place new keywords in appropriate IS research categories. The paper makes an incremental contribution toward a contemporary means of classifying IS research. This work is important and useful for researchers in understanding the area and evolution of the IS field and also has implications for improving information search and retrieval activities