Semantic Descriptors of Models and Simulations

摘要

Accurately describing simulation characteristics is essential for their interoperability and composability. The internal processes and results produced must be rigorously characterized and valid in the context of their application. Only if this is possible in an effective and economic manner can simulations be extensively reused, through either composability or tailoring. To describe simulations accurately and with confidence, and to ensure that the simulation is valid in the context of the application, an understanding of the model semantics and semantic interdependencies is required. This paper describes an initial effort to develop a set of systematic descriptors that capture the characteristics and interdependencies of a simulation. We describe a framework for the identification and organization of semantic descriptors and provide some examples. We discuss a process for identifying associated metrics and present an experimental design for developing their scales. The paper concludes by presenting some experimental results and by discussing directions for continuing and building upon this work.