Model Representation in Discrete Event Simulation: I. Prospects for Developing Documentation Standards

Publisher Summary The first issue in the development of model documentation standards is the intended scope of such standards. Simulation is a ubiquitous technique, applied in many areas and many disciplines, and the development of a taxonomy of simulation models is a difficult problem in itself. Adequate model documentation must function on more than one level. Model documentation must be informational to several types of potential user. The need for model documentation standards is claimed from highly influential sources, and the benefits to be accrued from standardization are considered high. The means of describing model dynamics in an effective, precise, and succinct form remain the major unresolved problem in the development of a simulation-model specification and documentation language (SMSDL). The crucial prerequisite for further progress is a clear, rigorous, general definition of modeling perspectives that enable an understanding of the relationships among the three current simulation language approaches: event scheduling, activity scan, and process interaction. A procedural definition of model documentation could be derived and that measures of language capability for model documentation could be developed. The relative measures of model complexity would provide a flexible scale for documentation requirements in addition to providing a more formal comparison tool.