Increasingly, simulations are being used for visualization, exploration and training, taking advantage of advances in animation and computer processing to make this possible. Of course, we are used to thinking about simulation as a powerful tool for letting us imagine new systems and allowing us to both quantify and observe their behavior. Whether the system is a production line, a distribution network or communications system, simulation can be used to study and compare alternative designs or to troubleshoot existing systems. With simulation models we are free to imagine how an existing system might perform if altered, or imagine and explicitly visualize how a new system might behave before the prototype is even completed. The ability to easily construct and execute models and to generate statistics and animations about results has always been one of the main attractions of simulation software.

Survey


This survey is the sixth biennial survey of simulation software for discrete-event systems simulation and related products [Swain, 2001]. Following the pattern of previous surveys, the vendors have provided the information in the table. The survey summarizes important product features of the software, including price. Products that run on desktop computers to perform discrete-event simulation have been emphasized, since these are the most suitable for usage in management science and operations research. Simulation products whose primary capability is continuous simulation (systems of differential equations observed in physical systems) or training (e.g., aircraft and vehicle simulators) are omitted here.

There are 48 products listed in the survey, making it one of the largest surveys yet. The range and variety of these products continues to grow, reflecting the robustness of the products and the increasing sophistication of the users. The information elicited in the survey is intended to provide a general gauge of the product's capability, special features and usage. This survey includes information about experimental run control (e.g., batch run or experimental design capabilities) and special viewing features, including the ability to produce animations or demonstrations that can run independent of the simulation software itself. A separate listing gives contact information for all of the vendors whose products are in the survey. This survey is also available on the Lionheart Publishing Web site (www.lionhrtpub.com) and includes vendors who missed the publishing deadline. Of course, most of the vendors provide their own Web sites with further details about their products.

Like all software, the relation between the vendor and the user is ongoing. Products evolve over time, and new versions of the software become available periodically. In addition, the vendor is a source of information about both its products and their application. Most vendors now maintain contact with their users through mailings, newsletters, their own Web sites and annual user-group conferences. These conferences showcase the application and usefulness of the products, nurture contact with the users, and provide a way for users to learn from each other.

In addition to users groups, there are a number of organizations and conferences devoted to the application and methodology of simulation. The INFORMS publications Management Science, Operations Research and Interfaces publish articles on simulation. The INFORMS College on Simulation sponsors sessions on simulation at the national INFORMS meeting, and makes awards for both the best simulation publication and recognition of service in the area, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the area of simulation. Further information about the College on Simulation can be obtained from the Web site www.informs-cs.org. This site now provides the complete contents of the Proceedings of the conference for the last three years, and also contains links to many vendors of simulation products and sources of information about simulation, simulation education and references about simulation.

The College on Simulation is also a co-sponsor of the annual Winter Simulation Conference. This year's conference will be held Dec. 7-10 at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans. The program includes tutorial, methodology and applications tracks, including specialized areas such as computer modeling, financial models, transportation and logistics, and other operations. Further information and registration information is available from the site www.wintersim.org. The sponsors of the conference are also ready sources of information about simulation. The sponsor Web sites will be linked from the Winter Simulation Conference Web site. The Informs College on Simulation Web site (www.informs-cs.org) has the complete proceedings of the WSC from 1997 to 2002.

Selecting Simulation Products


After reviewing the large number of products in the survey, the author is often queried about the best simulation product overall, for a particular area of application, or even for a given project. In the broadest sense, it is not clear that such a ranking is even possible, and in any case it is not attempted in this survey. Suitability is a function of a large number of factors, including cost, familiarity and features, which vary by user and by problem. The comparisons that have been made between products have been limited to details about their operation [e.g., Schriber and Brunner, 2002] or comparisons based upon modeling cases. Simulation News Europe has published a number of case studies that provide solutions based upon two or more simulation products. These studies are also available on the Web site www.argesim.org/comparisons/index.html. The 12 cases documented on that site include six involving discrete-event simulation.

Discussions with a number of consultants who are independent of a particular product line suggest that most consultants are familiar with and employ a variety of products depending upon the needs of the client and the characteristics of the problem. In the cases where the simulation solution may have to interface with client software (e.g., databases or decision-support tools) compatibility is an increasingly important issue. A recent selection methodology developed for Accenture world-wide simulation [Tewoldeberhan, Verbraeck, Valentin, and Bardonnet, 2002], provides a framework in which users can evaluate products in seven areas (e.g., model development, animation) as the basis for deciding upon a suitable tool. The user can score competing products in the seven areas and use those scores as the basis for making an informed decision about product choice.

The Discipline of Simulation


The phenomenal growth of simulation throughout industry and particularly within the Department of Defense (DoD) has led to a growing demand for simulation professionals to develop models and modeling tools, and to manage large and complex simulation-based projects. Lacking a source of simulation professionals, the traditional approach has been to re-train engineers, scientists or programmers in the specialized skills needed for a given modeling or software development effort. In the case of manufacturing and service fields where discrete-event simulation is the predominant approach, many of these skills could be obtained as part of a degree program in operations research, management science or industrial engineering. In general, of course, simulation is a component of an overall program, not the end in itself. In a similar manner, expertise in communications or radar simulation might be developed by recruiting and retraining generalists from physics or electrical engineering.

The need for simulation professionals appears to be outstripping the supply that can be provided through the traditional approach. For instance, in the Huntsville, Ala., area alone, a survey of job advertisements over a limited study period turned up over a hundred local firms looking for professionals to do simulation [Madewell and Swain, 2002]. An analysis of the advertisements characterized both the types of professionals sought (developer, analyst and manager) and the qualifications required by the employers.

Simulation application far transcends the methods favored by individual disciplines, such as operations research. In fact, application areas and their disparate simulation approaches have sub-divided simulation, but there is an increasing sense that modeling and simulation may constitute a discipline in itself. Simulation programs have appeared at the University of Arizona, University of Central Florida, Old Dominion University, Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama in Huntsville to name a few. Last summer, a "simulation summit" of interested educational, governmental and industry representatives was held to consider what common body of knowledge characterized simulation and steps that could be taken to recognize this field as a specialty. The DoD is considering a job designation that would identify the particular skills and knowledge of a modeling and simulation professional.

A. Alan B. Pritsker: Simulator


Dr. A. Alan B. Pritsker was one of the most influential figures of simulation. An appreciation of his career was published soon after the last simulation survey [Wilson and Goldsman, 2001] as part of a special issue of the IIE Transactions honoring him. Though he described himself primarily as an industrial engineer, Alan's career could be taken to typify most aspects of a career in modeling and simulation. He was an early developer of simulation software for discrete-event and combined continuous- and discrete-event simulation (e.g., GASP, SLAM) and tools for the analysis of stochastic networks (e.g., GERTS), and founded and ran a company that developed, marketed and supported simulation tools and their application. He applied simulation in the analysis of a wide variety of important problems, including air defense, railroad operations, factory scheduling and organ transplantation policy [OR/MS Today, 1998]. Many of these applications are described in his book reflecting upon his career [Pritsker, 1990]. He was also a scholar and teacher who developed and taught many of the tools of simulation and simulation analysis. In addition, he was a research advisor whose students are among the leaders of simulation technology and education today.



Click here to view the 2003 Simulation Software Survey

WSC'03: Driving Innovation The 2003 Winter Simulation Conference will be held at the Fairmont New Orleans Hotel, Dec. 7-10, in New Orleans. The conference features a comprehensive program ranging from introductory tutorials to state-of-the-art research and practice in simulation. Check www.wintersim.org (after Sept. 1) for details on the preliminary program. For more information, contact the program chair, Douglas J. Morrice, MSIS Department, CBA 5.202, Red McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1175; phone: 512-471-7857; fax: 512-471-0587; e-mail: morrice@mail.utexas.edu.

1. Madewell, C. D., and Swain, J. J., 2002, "The Huntsville Simulation Snapshot: A Quantitative Analysis of what Employers Want Most in a Systems Simulation Professional," Proceedings of the Huntsville Simulation Conference, Huntsville, Ala.
2. Pritsker, A.A.B., 1990, "Papers, Experiences, Perspectives," Systems Publishing Corp., West Lafayette, Ind.
3. Pritsker, A.A.B., 1998, "Life and Death Decisions: Organ Transplantation Allocation Policy Analysis," OR/MS Today, August, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 22-28.
4. Schriber, T.J., and Brunner, D.T., 2002, "Inside Discrete-Event Simulation Software: How it Works and Why It Matters," Proceedings of the 2002 Winter Simulation Conference, eds. E. Yücesan, C. -H. Chen, J. L. Snowdon, and J. M. Charnes, pp. 97-107, Piscataway, N.J. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
5. Swain, J. J., 2001, "Power Tools for Visualization and Decision Making," OR/MS Today, February, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 52‹63.
6. Tewoldeberhan, T. W., Verbraeck, A., Valentin, E., and Bardonnet, G., 2002, "An Evaluation and Selection Methodology for Discrete-Event Simulation Software," Proceedings of the 2002 Winter Simulation Conference, eds. E. Yücesan, C. H. Chen, J. L. Snowdon, and J. M. Charnes, pp. 67-75, Piscataway, N.J.: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
7. Wilson, J.R. and Goldsman, D., 2001, "Alan Pritsker's Multifaceted Career: Theory, Practice, Education, Entrepreneurship and Service," IIE Transactions, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 139-147.

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