Application of fuzzy tools to the automatic analysis of system dynamics models: an example of World3

Abstract Even the simple run of a medium size system dynamics model can be a cumbersome process, since the uncertainty of the parameters forces the modeler to consider many runs before being confident of how the model behaves. System dynamics simulation packages include some analysis tools, but there is a lack of a commonly used analysis tool such as fuzzy clustering. In this paper, we explore the possibilities of a programming language, Matlab, and its simulation tool, Simulink, for the above mentioned possibilities. These languages enable the development of customized analysis tools at a very low programming cost. World3 model is a widely known example of a large model whose analysis becomes a difficult task. We have programmed this model in Simulink and, afterwards, some tools, such as fuzzy clustering and pathway participation metric (PPM), have been applied to show their potential capacity to facilitate model simulation analyses.