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Using Object‐Based Simulations for Exploring and Testing Complex Systems
Author(s) -
Schoening William W.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.1996.tb02013.x
Subject(s) - visibility , variety (cybernetics) , computer science , object (grammar) , complex system , software , feature (linguistics) , systems engineering , software engineering , object oriented programming , human–computer interaction , distributed computing , artificial intelligence , engineering , programming language , linguistics , philosophy , physics , optics
Object based (and objected oriented) software design of models and simulations frequently focuses on the top down structure of individual players whose components behave in highly predictable ways. Electronics, engines, missiles, cars, tanks, and satellites give well known responses to inputs defined by the designing engineers. These same object based concepts, coupled with a few additional guidelines, can be applied with striking results to the simulation of complex systems of independent objects whose behavior is not predictable. The trick is to recognized that organization and cooperation between independent objects is a feature of the behavior of the objects themselves rather than some global entity that imposes the organization from above. Guidelines for turning object‐based models and simulations of real world systems into highly flexible tools for exploring and testing are discussed. Simulations that follow these guidelines give analysts the necessary visibility so they can be trusted and used for exploring requirements and even testing products before the products themselves are built. The guidelines have evolved over the past seven years based on experience with a variety of software simulation environments and tools to simulate complex systems.