Simulation methodology

摘要

This panel discussion is patterned after a similar session held at the recent Annual Meeting of the Society for General Systems Research, held in Detroit (May, 1983). The objective of that panel session was to raise the level of awareness of systems researchers regarding the role of modelling and simulation as a key tool in systems methodologies. Audience reaction to the session was intense and generated much debate. Consequently, the idea arose of presenting a matching version to the simulation community. It will be interesting to compare reactions emerging from the different perspectives of systems research and simulation modelling practice. For interested readers, the panel contributions are being expanded and deepened by the authors to take the form of articles for publication in the post proceedings of the Detroit SGSR meeting and the journal Behavioral Science.

The current panel discussion aims to examine the methodology of current practice, and from this base, go on to point out the challenges that lie in the near and long term future. The session will consist of an integrated sequence of presentations by simulation methodologists. Beginning with problems and approaches in contemporary large-scale simulation modelling, it will move onto more ambitious computer-supported methodologies under development.