Workflow simulations in a virtual world.

摘要

Our everyday lives are full of rote procedures we use for executing mundane tasks that we do on auto-pilot, that is, without thinking (much). These procedures can vary from simple tasks like brushing one's teeth to intermediate tasks like driving to work or going to a restaurant to complex tasks like performing a heart operation. At present, we do not have computational representations or libraries that define these everyday procedures. In this thesis, we use the term "workflow" to refer to these kinds of everyday procedures. New methods are needed to develop workflows that are more efficient, that can integrate new technologies, that can minimize risk, and that can save effort, time, and money. A solution to the problem of representing and executing workflows is proposed in this thesis in the form of a workflow simulation system that exploits the visualization power of a three-dimensional virtual world. Background is provided into the research and technologies that could be used to build this system. The development of such a system using the virtual world Second Life is described, along with workflow modeling problems that were encountered and how those problems were overcome. The workflow system is tested by using it to simulate a number of real-world workflows, including a heart catheterization medical procedure and a Shakespeare play. The simulations are described and analysis shows that each successive version of our workflow system makes important improvements. Our initial successes suggesting that a practical virtual world workflow simulation system would be a valuable extension to 3D virtual world platforms and the ability to model workflow has potential benefits for "serious game" applications like training and monitoring applications.