Simulation Environment with a View Mechanism as an Analysis Tool

A view of a model in simulation is the abstraction mechanism that allows the definition a new component in the simulation that is derived from other components. The objective similar to the case of database views which is to allow the extension and reorganization of a model without affecting the original model. A simulation view is an analysis tool that can abstract not only the structure of a group of models but the behavior as well. Views that abstract structure allow the aggregation of the state of its components. Objects in a simulation generate low level performance measures of the behavior of the system, structural views allow the analyst to derive more complex performance measures a combination of existing ones. The goal of the SEVMAT project is to test an existing simulation environment prototype that supports views using the project management network problem as the application domain. This project will allow NASA to use simulation as a decision tool in the area of resource allocation and the analysis of results on multiple criteria simultaneously. Using the results of the experiment, requirements for converting the idea into a commercial product can be identified and a detailed design of the analysis tool achieved.