Esta dissertação tem por objetivo apresentar uma abordagem baseada em técnicas de inteligência artificial para automatizar a etapa de particionamento de modelos em simulação distribuída. Essa abordagem utiliza os conceitos da computação evolutiva para o desenvolvimento de um algoritmo genético capaz de otimizar o processo de particionamento e auxiliar a tomada de decisões na tarefa de obtenção dos processos lógicos. Objetiva-se com sua aplicação minimizar o tempo de execução da simulação distribuída, evitando que o pior tempo de execução seja utilizado. Para alcançar esse objetivo, o particionamento apresentado como solução é caracterizado pelo balanceamento de carga e pela baixa latência de comunicação entre processos. Isso é possível porque o algoritmo genético utiliza informações contidas no modelo e na arquitetura de onde a simulação será executada. Esses padrões são utilizados para obter informações sobre a comunicação entre processos, a carga de processamento por centro de serviço e a capacidade de processamento das máquinas / This dissertation presents an approach based on intelligence artificial technics to automatize the model partitioning stage in distributed simulation. This approach makes uses evolutive computing concepts to developed a genetic algorithmic that can optimize the partitioning process and help to take decisions in the task to get the logical process. The propose of this algorithm is reduce to execution time the distributed simulation and to avoid the use of the worst execution time. To reach this target, the partitioning obtained has characteristics such as load balance and the low-communication interprocess. This is possible because the genetic algorithmic uses as input information from the model and the architect where the simulation with be executed. These inputs are used to get information about the interprocess communication, processing load per service center and processing capacity in the machines

This thesis develops adaptive simulation control techniques that differentiate between competing system configurations. Here, a system is a real world environment under analysis. In this context, proposed modifications to a system denoted by different configurations are evaluated using large-scale hybrid simulation. Adaptive control techniques, using ranking and selection methods, compare the relative worth of competing configurations and use these comparisons to control the number of required simulation observations. Adaptive techniques necessitate embedded statistical computations suitable for the variety of data found in detailed simulations, including hybrid and agent-based simulations. These embedded statistical computations apply efficient sampling methods to collect data from simulations running on a network of workstations. The National Airspace System provides a test case for the application of these techniques to the analysis and design of complex systems, implemented here in the Reconfigurable Flight Simulator, a large-scale hybrid simulation. Implications of these techniques for the use of simulation as a design activity are also presented.

The choice of reference frames used in simulations is typically fixed in dynamic models based on modeling decisions made early during their development, restricting model fidelity, numerical accuracy and integration into large-scale simulations. Individual simulation components typically need to model the transformations between multiple reference frames in order to interact with other components, resulting in additional development effort, time and cost. This dissertation describes the methods for defining and managing different reference frames in a simulation, thereby creating a shared simulation environment that can provide reference frame transformations, comprising of kinematics and rotations, to all simulation components through a Reference Frame Manager. Simulation components can use this Reference Frame Manager to handle all kinematics and rotations when interacting with components using different reference frames, improving the interoperability of simulation components, especially in parallel and distributed simulation, while reducing their development time, effort and cost. The Reference Frame Manager also facilitates the development of Generic Dynamic Models that encapsulate the core service of dynamic model, enabling the rapid development of dynamic models that can be reused and reconfigured for different simulation scenarios and requirements. The Reference Frame Manager can also be used to introduce Intermediate Frames that bound the magnitudes of vehicle states, reducing roundoff error and improving numerical accuracy.

A new approach to distributed network simulations that eases the burdens on the simulation developer in creating space-parallel simulations is presented. It provides a full-topology knowledge for every federate (simulator instance) to make the best routing decision to destinations simulated at other federates. Later, this technique was used to characterize the benefits of IP Anycast mechanism at large scale. Different IP Anycast scenarios were simulated in a detailed Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) simulator using a realistic large-scale AS topology. Results indicated that Anycast indeed provides higher availability and decreased end-to-end delay. It also showed that Anycast does not provide load balancing, and the BGP overhead associated with a topology change is reduced when Anycast is deployed. In addition, a simulation model of Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) was developed and used to present a new approach for host mobility within an AS. The new solution is to allow end systems to retain a fixed IP address as those systems move across subnet boundaries, and to use route advertisement updates (by EIGRP) to inform routers of new or revised routes to reach the mobile hosts as they migrate. The simulation results showed the viability of this approach, and the ability of EIGRP to update routing tables in a timely fashion.

The topic of this dissertation was the use of distributed computing to improve the modeling of the interaction between passenger cars and trucks. The two main focus areas were the development of a methodology to combine microscopic traffic simulation programs with driving simulator programs, and the application of a prototype distributed traffic simulation to study the impact of the length of an impeding vehicle on passing behavior. The methodology was motivated by the need to provide an easier way to create calibrated traffic flows in driving simulations and to capture vehicle behavior within microscopic traffic simulations. The original design for the prototype was to establish a two-way, real time exchange of vehicle data, however problems were encountered that imposed limitations on its development and use. The passing study was motivated by the possible changes in federal truck size and weight regulations and the current inconsistency between the passing sight distance criteria for the design of two lane highways and the marking of no-passing zones. Test drivers made passing maneuvers around impeding vehicles that differed in length and speed. The main effects of the impeding vehicle length were found to be significant for the time and distance in the left lane, and the start and end gap distances. Passing equations were formulated based on the mechanics of the passing maneuver and included behavior variables for calibration. Through a sensitivity analysis, it was shown that increases in vehicle speeds, vehicle length, and gap distance increased the distance traveled in the left lane, while increases in the speed difference and speed gain decreased the distance traveled in the left lane. The passing equations were calibrated using the current AASHTO values and used to predict the impact of increased vehicle lengths on the time and distance in the left lane. The passing equations are valuable for evaluating passing sight distance criteria and observed passing behavior.

An increased need for collaborative research among different organizations, together with continuing advances in communication technology and computer hardware, has facilitated the development of distributed systems that can provide users non-trivial access to geographically dispersed computing resources (processors, storage, applications, data, instruments, etc.) that are administered in multiple computer domains. The term grid computing or grids is popularly used to refer to such distributed systems. A broader definition of grid computing includes the use of computing resources within an organization for running organization-specific applications. This research is in the context of using grid computing within an enterprise to maximize the use of available hardware and software resources for processing enterprise applications. Large scale scientific simulations have traditionally been the primary benefactor of grid computing. The application of this technology to simulation in industry has, however, been negligible. This research investigates how grid technology can be effectively exploited by simulation practitioners using Windows-based commercially available simulation packages to model simulations in industry. These packages are commonly referred to as Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Simulation Packages (CSPs). The study identifies several higher level grid services that could be potentially used to support the practise of simulation in industry. It proposes a grid computing framework to investigate these services in the context of CSP-based simulations. This framework is called the CSP-Grid Computing (CSP-GC) Framework. Each identified higher level grid service in this framework is referred to as a CSP-specific service. A total of six case studies are presented to experimentally evaluate how grid computing technologies can be used together with unmodified simulation packages to support some of the CSP-specific services. The contribution of this thesis is the CSP-GC framework that identifies how simulation practise in industry may benefit from the use of grid technology. A further contribution is the recognition of specific grid computing software (grid middleware) that can possibly be used together with existing CSPs to provide grid support. With its focus on end-users and end-user tools, it is intended that this research will encourage wider adoption of grid computing in the workplace and that simulation users will derive benefit from using this technology.

Esta dissertação tem por objetivo apresentar uma abordagem baseada em técnicas de inteligência artificial para automatizar a etapa de particionamento de modelos em simulação distribuída. Essa abordagem utiliza os conceitos da computação evolutiva para o desenvolvimento de um algoritmo genético capaz de otimizar o processo de particionamento e auxiliar a tomada de decisões na tarefa de obtenção dos processos lógicos. Objetiva-se com sua aplicação minimizar o tempo de execução da simulação distribuída, evitando que o pior tempo de execução seja utilizado. Para alcançar esse objetivo, o particionamento apresentado como solução é caracterizado pelo balanceamento de carga e pela baixa latência de comunicação entre processos. Isso é possível porque o algoritmo genético utiliza informações contidas no modelo e na arquitetura de onde a simulação será executada. Esses padrões são utilizados para obter informações sobre a comunicação entre processos, a carga de processamento por centro de serviço e a capacidade de processamento das máquinas / This dissertation presents an approach based on intelligence artificial technics to automatize the model partitioning stage in distributed simulation. This approach makes uses evolutive computing concepts to developed a genetic algorithmic that can optimize the partitioning process and help to take decisions in the task to get the logical process. The propose of this algorithm is reduce to execution time the distributed simulation and to avoid the use of the worst execution time. To reach this target, the partitioning obtained has characteristics such as load balance and the low-communication interprocess. This is possible because the genetic algorithmic uses as input information from the model and the architect where the simulation with be executed. These inputs are used to get information about the interprocess communication, processing load per service center and processing capacity in the machines

As the size, complexity, and functionality of systems we need to model and simulate con-tinue to increase, benefits such as interoperability and reusability enabled by distributed discrete-event simulation are becoming extremely important in many disciplines, not only military but also many engineering disciplines such as distributed manufacturing, supply chain management, and enterprise engineering, etc. In this dissertation we propose a distributed simulation framework for the development of modeling and the simulation of complex systems. The framework is based on the interoperability of a simulation system enabled by distributed simulation and the gateways which enable Com-mercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) simulation packages to interconnect to the distributed simulation engine. In the case study of modeling Virtual Test Bed (VTB), the framework has been designed as a distributed simulation to facilitate the integrated execution of different simulations, (shuttle process model, Monte Carlo model, Delay and Scrub Model) each of which is addressing differ-ent mission components as well as other non-simulation applications (Weather Expert System and Virtual Range). Although these models were developed independently and at various times, the original purposes have been seamlessly integrated, and interact with each other through Run-time Infrastructure (RTI) to simulate shuttle launch related processes. This study found that with the framework the defining properties of complex systems - interaction and emergence – are realized and that the software life cycle models (including the spiral model and prototyping) can be used as metaphors to manage the complexity of modeling and simulation of the system. The system of systems (a complex system is intrinsically a "system of systems") continuously evolves to accomplish its goals, during the evolution subsystems co-ordinate with one another and adapt with environmental factors such as policies, requirements, and objectives. In the case study we first demonstrate how the legacy models developed in COTS simulation languages/packages and non-simulation tools can be integrated to address a compli-cated system of systems. We then describe the techniques that can be used to display the state of remote federates in a local federate in the High Level Architecture (HLA) based distributed simulation using COTS simulation packages.

This dissertation develops a holistic usability framework for distributed simulation systems (DSSs). The framework is developed considering relevant research in human-computer interaction, computer science, technical writing, engineering, management, and psychology. The methodology used consists of three steps: (1) framework development, (2) surveys of users to validate and refine the framework, and to determine attribute weights, and (3) application of the framework to two real-world systems. The concept of a holistic usability framework for DSSs arose during a project to improve the usability of the Virtual Test Bed, a prototypical DSS, and the framework is partly a result of that project. In addition, DSSs at Ames Research Center were studied for additional insights. The framework has six dimensions: end user needs, end user interface(s), programming, installation, training, and documentation. The categories of participants in this study include managers, researchers, programmers, end users, trainers, and trainees. The first survey was used to obtain qualitative and quantitative data to validate and refine the framework. Attributes that failed the validation test were dropped from the framework. A second survey was used to obtain attribute weights. The refined framework was used to evaluate two existing DSSs, measuring their holistic usabilities. Ensuring that the needs of the variety of types of users who interact with the system during design, development, and use are met is important to launch a successful system. Adequate consideration of system usability along the several dimensions in the framework will not only ensure system success but also increase productivity, lower life cycle costs, and result in a more pleasurable working experience for people who work with the system.

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