International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling 

About: International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling is an academic journal published by Inderscience Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Computer science & Supply chain. It has an ISSN identifier of 1740-2123. Over the lifetime, 425 publications have been published receiving 2900 citations. The journal is also known as: IJSPM & International journal of simulation and process modelling.

Supply chain simulation tools and techniques: a survey

Abstract: The main contribution of this paper is twofold: • it surveys different types of simulation for supply chain management • it discusses several methodological issues. These different types of simulation are spreadsheet simulation, system dynamics, discrete-event simulation and business games. Which simulation type should be applied, depends on the type of managerial question to be answered by the model. The methodological issues concern validation and verification, sensitivity, optimisation, and robustness analyses. This sensitivity analysis yields a shortlist of the truly important factors in large simulation models with (say) a hundred factors. The robustness analysis optimises the important factors controllable by management, while accounting for the noise created by the important non-controllable, environmental factors. The various methodological issues are illustrated by a case study involving the simulation of a supply chain in the mobile communications industry in Sweden. In general, simulation is important because it may support the quantification of the benefits resulting from supply chain management.

Brahms: a multi-agent modelling environment for simulating work processes and practices

Abstract: Modelling and simulating work processes is often done at such an abstract level that individual work practice - collaboration, communication, 'off-task' behaviours, multi-tasking, interrupted and resumed activities, informal interactions, use of tools and movements - is left out, making the description of how the work in an organisation actually gets done impossible. This paper describes the Brahms modelling and simulation environment, developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The Brahms modelling language is geared towards modelling people's activity behaviour, making it an ideal environment for simulating organisational processes at a level that allows the analysis of the work practice and designing new work processes at the implementation level.

Challenges in collaborative modelling: a literature review and research agenda

Abstract: Modelling is a key activity in conceptual design and system design. Through collaborative modelling, end-users, stakeholders, experts and entrepreneurs are able to create shared understanding about a system representation. This paper reports on a literature review to provide an overview of the commonalities and differences in collaborative modelling research. We develop a framework of analysis and conduct a quantitative meta-analysis to understand the challenges in collaborative modelling. Next, we performed a qualitative analysis to further elicit these challenges and discuss requirements for tools to support collaborative modelling, using Group Support Systems (GSSs) or Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs). We found critical challenges in supporting the understanding and adoption of modelling rules, and in integration of sub-models and different perspectives of systems to achieve shared understanding visualised in a system representation.

Macro-models for high-level area and power estimation on FPGAs

Abstract: This paper presents the high-level equation based area and power macro-models for various RTL level operators on FPGAs. The area model is parameterised with the bit width of the device and the power model takes into account input switching activity and input spatial correlation as well as input bit width. These models are derived by actual synthesis of these RTL operators using back-end logic synthesis and place-and-route tools. Compared with the other approaches, our method generated a uniform macro-model for each operator with fewer coefficients and sometimes lower degrees. It is also easier to analyse the power sensitivity to different parameters.

Java Simulation Library (JSL): an open-source object-oriented library for discrete-event simulation in Java

Abstract: This paper describes the design and functionality of an open-source object-oriented library for executing discrete-event simulation models in the Java programming language. The structure of the library is described in terms of its packages, class structure, and functionalities. The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the library so that practitioners and researchers can better use the library for simulation modelling. In addition, the expository nature of this paper can help new users or students learn the basics of discrete-event simulation from the library's design. The capabilities of the library are illustrated through a number of source-code examples.