Showing papers by "Bernard P. Zeigler published in 2012"

Guide to Modeling and Simulation of Systems of Systems: User’s Reference

Abstract: This users reference is a companion to the separate book also titled Guide to Modelling and Simulation of Systems of Systems. The principal book explicates integrated development environments to support virtual building and testing of systems of systems, covering in some depth the MS4 Modelling Environment. This users reference provides a quick reference and exposition of the various concepts and functional features covered in that book. The topics in the users reference are grouped in alignment with the workflow displayed on the MS4 Modeling Environment launch page, under the headings Atomic Models, System Entity Structure, Pruning SES, and Miscellaneous. For each feature, the reference discusses why we use it, when we should use it, and how to use it. Further comments and links to related features are also included.

Guide to Modeling and Simulation of Systems of Systems

Abstract: This guide demonstrates how virtual build and test can be supported by the Discrete Event Systems Specification (DEVS) simulation modeling formalism, and the System Entity Structure (SES) simulation model ontology. The book examines a wide variety of Systems of Systems (SoS) problems, ranging from cloud computing systems to biological systems in agricultural food crops. Features: includes numerous exercises, examples and case studies throughout the text; presents a step-by-step introduction to DEVS concepts, encouraging hands-on practice to building sophisticated SoS models; illustrates virtual build and test for a variety of SoS applications using both commercial and open source DEVS simulation environments; introduces an approach based on activity concepts intrinsic to DEVS-based system design, that integrates both energy and information processing requirements; describes co-design modeling concepts and methods to capture separate and integrated software and hardware systems.

System theoretic foundations of modeling and simulation: a historic perspective and the legacy of A Wayne Wymore

Abstract: AW Wymore, the founder of the world's first systems engineering department at the University of Arizona, has been at the origin of the system theoretic foundations of modeling and simulation. Wymore's intellectual family tree, which goes back to Gauss and Weierstrass, is given. How the authors met, cooperated, and advocated system theory for the advancement of modeling and simulation are explained. The concept of model-based simulation was also one of the outcomes of this cooperation. This article reviews the emergence of systems-theory-based modeling and simulation languages and environments, such as the General System Theory implementor and Discrete Event System Specification, and their relation to Wymore's concepts. We also discuss the application of powerful software development frameworks to support user-friendly access to systems concepts and to increase the power to support systems design and engineering.

Activity-based credit assignment (ACA) in hierarchical simulation

Abstract: The use of activity-based credit assignment (ACA) for the automatic evaluation and selection of candidate components of systems is considered here. The whole process consists of a precise automatic structured specification of systems. Mathematical definitions and algorithms are provided. ACA converges on good components/compositions faster than repository-based random search. As systems constitute a vast class of problems to be specified by a modeler, this automatic composition of systems opens new research perspectives. The paper also places ACA within the context of existing approaches to credit assignment in classifier systems.

Simulation model standardization through web services: interoperation and federation on the DEVS/SOA platform

Abstract: Various approaches to standardization of DEVS modeling and simulation artifacts are being actively pursued by the DEVS research community. In this paper, we consider standardization for web-service implementations of simulation models, an increasingly popular approach to simulation development. We show how DEVS/SOA's standardized data distribution and time-management functionalities provide an advantageous platform for simulation federations of web service-based models. When augmented with automated analysis of web-service descriptions to produce DEVS proxies and enhanced with meta-data model characterization, DEVS/SOA can support effective discovery and composition of both DEVS and non-DEVS models expressed as web services.

A modeling and simulation-based methodology to support dynamic negotiation for web service applications

Abstract: Different negotiation engineering domains require the system designer to tailor the negotiation framework according to the domain under which it will be used. This process of system design is timely consuming when supporting different geographically distributed and dynamic environments. Here we show a methodology to design negotiation systems by integrating domain-dependent message structure ontology with domain-independent marketplace architecture. The methodology gives the system designers a powerful modeling tool that can be used to tailor the framework in order to support different negotiation behaviors under different domains. The system entity structure formalism is used to build the domain-dependent ontology while the finite deterministic discrete event system formalism is used to build the marketplace model. The discrete event system with service oriented architecture simulation environment was employed to demonstrate a proof of concept of applicability to web service domains.

Frontier modeling support environment: flexibility to adapt to diverse stakeholders

Abstract: Today's complex technological systems cater to a wide variety of stakeholders and their construction involves a multitude of development disciplines. This paper reports on the design of a Modeling Support Environment (MSE) intended to support a large development project concerning the design of fractionated spacecraft architectures. We discuss unique features of the MSE that support its use by a wide spectrum of potential users and developers of a system of fractionated spacecraft: identification of user types, automated generation and conditioning of the solutions space, flexible simulation services, and semantics-based orchestration of service oriented architecture. The paper closes by pointing to the generic quality of the MSE concept and its applicability to today's complex technology systems.

Ontology-based marketplace for supporting negotiation in different scientific applications

Abstract: The recent development in cloud computing and Web service delivery encouraged companies from different disciplines to offer their services to customers over the Internet. Since different domains use different language of encounter to establish their contracts, a generic negotiation framework that can be tailored to a specific domain is needed. In this paper, we will present a generic domain-independent marketplace architecture that allows user agents to interact with service providers using two simple and yet powerful negotiation protocols. Service providers have different capabilities depending on the domain of interest. Hence, a dynamic message structuring capability is needed. A key solution to support expressive power is to design an ontology that contains specializations between different domains. The Integration of the domain-dependent ontology with the domain-independent marketplace gives the designer a powerful tool in which systems can be tailored based on the operational purpose. We demonstrate a proof of the concept by implementing the negotiation framework using Discrete Event Specification/Service Oriented Architecture (DEVS/SOA) environment.

Frontier: Intelligent Decision Engine for Stable Adaptable Complex Systems

Abstract: Frontier is a framework for a highly adaptable, stably reconfigurable, web–accessible intelligent decision engine developed to a) optimize the design of complex (particularly multi– asset or fractionated) systems, as well as b) simulate and operate systems distributed spatially and temporally in response to evolving needs and environments in support of the DARPA Tactical Technology Office (TTO) System F6 (Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free–Flying) program. Innovatively and uniquely, Frontier is capable of absorbing and utilizing lessons learned and thus evolving from tool to tool user with tools via an adaptable framework utilizing an Intelligent Decision Engine (IDE) in a Web Support Environment (WSE). The IDE is based on a