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Advanced Simulation Modeling Technologies
The increasing complexity of systems has enhanced the use of simulation as a decision-support tool. The popularity of simulation amongst competing quantitative tools can probably be attributed to the fact that it is both simple and intuitively appealing. It facilitates experimentation with real world systems that would either be impossible or cost prohibitive otherwise. Moreover, simulation is often the only scientific methodology available to practitioners for the analysis of complex systems. In order to create and experiment with a computerized mathematical model of a physical system, the process of simulation and modeling analysis must be employed so that one can visualize the system’s behavior, identify its problems and improve the performance.
Simulation is useful when:
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the effect of a change to an existing system needs to be analyzed, |
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a proposed system does not exist, |
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options to improve system performance need to be quantified, and |
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other analytic methods become computationally intractable. |
Simulation allows one to ask "what if" questions and to derive new information from existing knowledge. The simulation activity, coupled with the evaluation or analysis of alternate designs and courses of action, can lead to a better understanding of system operations and management policies.
Recent advances in information technology provide an opportunity to improve the productivity of simulation model development and deployment activities. For example, the DoD High Level Architecture (HLA) initiative and the component-based approach to software development are intended to enable the rapid and cost effective development and deployment of simulations in distributed environments.
The only methodology that can be realistically considered for application is modeling and simulation, which was identified by the U.S. DoD and DoE as one of the critical technologies in the United States. The power of simulation as an analysis tool for the planning, design and control of complex systems has become so well established that it is today considered an indispensable problem-solving methodology in its own right, as opposed to being the method of last resort that it used to be not long ago. There is little doubt that simulation as an analysis tool will continue to grow in importance in the years to come.
KBSI has established itself as a leader in this area of expertise with many successful efforts implemented throughout the DoD and in industry. To name a few, KBSI’s effort on behalf of Tinker Air Force Base II produced the On Demand Depot Shop Process Analysis (ODSS) that enhances proven technology for rapid creation and application of simulation modeling for depot management decision support. The result was the integration of rule-based simulation generation and execution with data mining and optimization for the rapid architecting and parameterization of models.
In another effort for the Air Force Research Laboratory, KBSI developed a Framework for Adaptive Modeling and Ontology-driven Simulation (FAMOS), which is a hybrid approach that combines ontology and process analysis methods with ontology-driven translation generation techniques to facilitate robust simulation composability analysis and semantic modeling and simulation interoperability. Key innovations include advanced ontology, process, and information model analysis methods to assess and facilitate semantic simulation model composability; novel methods to analyze simulation models at multiple levels of abstraction; and innovative ontology-driven translation generation methods that facilitates semantic information integration.
Additionally, KBSI developed a unified modeling and experimentation framework that uses simulation, trade-off analysis, and data mining analysis and optimization to enhance the Army's current and future combat systems maintenance and maintenance manpower planning at the US Army Research Laboratory at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds under the effort Army Transformation in Logistics and Sustainment (ATLAS). The final product of this project will be a unified modeling and experimentation framework that will allow decision-makers to assess and plan current and future combat systems maintenance. The ATLAS technology will greatly aid the Army in meeting its stated goal of a 90% AO (Operation Availability) and a 20% TOCR (Total Ownership Cost Reduction) for existing weapon systems and to establish effective sustainment specifications for performance- based logistics support.
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