ABSTRACT Operating room (OR) management has remarkable impacts on the efficiency of not only OR departments themselves but also other functions of hospitals. Therefore, evaluation of long-term adequacy of specific decisions regarding the OR planning is of a notable importance. Since hospitals deal with a varying environment, every long-term analysis must investigate the hospital responsiveness to the

ABSTRACT Make-to-order (MTO) supply chains (SC), common in aerospace industries, are very complex compared to mass production chains. Moreover, one of the significant long-term challenges is sustainability performance across its entire supply chain. However, this is not an easy task given the complexity involved, so decision support tools are fundamental instruments in understanding the entire supply

ABSTRACT Gathering information on electric energy consumption is important for companies and institutions aiding in making plans. Multi-agent systems can aid such companies in understanding the different behaviours presented within the context of a society constituted by autonomous entities. We propose a multi-agent simulator capable of emulating different profiles of consumers and equipment. Our approach

(2021). Model-based governance in a sustainable world. Journal of Simulation: Vol. 15, Model-Based Governance in a Sustainable World, pp. 1-4.

ABSTRACT Throughout the design development process, simulations provide the ability to aid the designer in exploring the relationship between different variables, in various configurations, for as many iterations as needed without any physical commitment. The goal of this qualitative research is presenting in-depth perspectives of practicing design professionals on opportunities and challenges of utilising

ABSTRACT Cyber-attacks are serious threats to operations in most industries, enabled by a growing dependence on Information Technology (IT). To minimise disruptive effects on operations, organisations with complex system derive value both from preventing cyber-attacks and from responding promptly and coherently when cyber-attacks happen, capacity is known as cyber-resilience. Frameworks have been presented

ABSTRACT Urban rail transit often has high sensitivity against random disruptions. Hence regularity of the rail services should be maintained to prevent adverse impacts. This study focused on an objected-oriented discrete-event simulation platform to generate an efficient operation plan for such networks in the cases of degraded modes. The main goal is to generate an operation plan by taking into account

ABSTRACT In discrete event simulation (DES) models, stochastic behaviour is modelled by sampling random variates from probability distributions to determine event outcomes. However, the distribution of outcomes for an event from a real system is often dynamic and dependent on the current system state. This paper proposes the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) in DES models to determine the current

ABSTRACT Modern telecommunication networks are comprised of a countless number of nodes exchanging data among them. In particular, multimedia traffic – composed of audio, video, and images – represents a challenging scenario requiring link optimisation techniques. The hub-and-spoke topology is frequently used to design more effective telecommunication networks. This work considers a hub-and-spoke network

ABSTRACT Internet of Things applications are based on ubiquitous networks of multiple distributed devices, with limited computing resources and power, capable of collecting and storing data from heterogeneous sources in real-time. To avoid network saturation and delays, new architectures are needed to provide real-time Big Data and data analytics capabilities at the edge of the network, where energy

ABSTRACT The aim of the study is to explore how best to mitigate against inventory volatility in perishable inventory, which is characterized by random premature expiration, random demand, irregular supply, age differentiated demand and custom replenishment guidelines. Through the adoption of simulation-optimization along with new settings and replenishment policies, the optimized quantity level of

(2020). Editorial: Special issue on Simulation in Transportation. Journal of Simulation: Vol. 14, Simulation in Transportation, pp. 239-241.

ABSTRACT This paper first summarises a survey of logistics and production planning engineers in the automotive industry on the use of simulation models to solve planning tasks in logistics and production conducted by the authors. As a solution for the analysed trade-off between a required quick provision of simulation results and a tolerable inaccuracy of the simulation results, the authors describe

ABSTRACT Food waste is an issue of global importance. Households generate more food waste than any other source in high- and middle-income countries. There are many solutions to reduce household food waste, but measurement of the impact of each solution is costly, and therefore usually not undertaken. This is a major barrier to decision makers adopting the most effective solutions. Discrete event simulation

ABSTRACT This study aimed to improve the value of the rice supply chain through the use of a system dynamics (SD) model. SD was used since it is able to accommodate internal and external factors that influence the value of the rice supply chain. The simulation results showed that increasing the value of the rice supply chain can be achieved by increasing the quantity and quality of the crop yield and

ABSTRACT Inspired by the evolutionary dynamics of cancer, an agent-based model for creativity-innovation transition process is proposed. In this analogy, cells are considered as agents (e.g., companies or individual innovators) which are interacting with each other through a competitive interaction network; cancer represents the innovation and the creativity-innovation process is considered to be analogous

The increasing reliance of modern science in computer simulation demands appropriate trust in simulation models for credible results. Because of its foundations in operations research, model credibility is conventionally viewed from the lens of numerical and transformational accuracy. However, the exploratory use of models in scientific discovery, causal explanation, and strategic decision-making render

We develop a stock-flow-consistent microsimulation model that comprises all relevant mechanisms of money creation and parametrise it to fit actual data. The model is used to make out-of-sample projections of broad money and credit developments under the commencement/termination of foreign reserve accumulation by the Bank of Russia. We use direct forecasts from the miscrosimulation model as well as

This paper proposes a hybrid methodology for analysing the causal relations between public transportation development, tourism and land use by combining System Dynamics (SD) with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and agent-based modelling (ABM). It is applied to illustrate the quantitative and spatial effect of the two phases Light Rail Transit (LRT) development in Asia New Bay Area, Kaohsiung

Entrepreneurs’ need to manufacture quality products at a reasonable cost with the goal of enhancing their competitive edge in the market has led to an increase in the development and use of preventive maintenance (PM) systems. Consequently, PM is now recognized as one of the most effective solutions for reducing equipment failure frequency. This paper proposes a hybrid simulation-fuzzy model to address

The advent of new technologies brings a significant impact on systems management. The Industry 4.0 looks for increasingly automated, integrated, and digitised processes. We highlight the use of simulation as a Digital Twin, a virtual and intelligent copy capable of mirroring real processes and optimise decision making. This paper analyses the applicability of the Discrete Event Simulation as a Digital

Determining how to reasonably evaluate the production performance of bulk cargo terminals has always been a concern of the terminal managers. Aiming at the problem of production performance evaluation of the coal export terminals, this paper presents an evaluation method of production performance based on MAS (multi-agent system). A global simulation model of a typical export coal terminal is built

Urban form develops in close feedback with different modes of transportation. The introduction and adoption of automated vehicles (AVs) are expected to have an impact on the development of cities as well, as the use of AVs may, for example, lead to more efficient road use and less need for parking spaces. In order to study those impacts, we developed a geospatially disaggregated system dynamics (SD)

ABSTRACT Urban form develops in close feedback with different modes of transportation. The introduction and adoption of automated vehicles (AVs) are expected to have an impact on the development of cities as well, as the use of AVs may, for example, lead to more efficient road use and less need for parking spaces. In order to study those impacts, we developed a geospatially disaggregated system dynamics

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a hybrid methodology for analysing the causal relations between public transportation development, tourism and land use by combining System Dynamics (SD) with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and agent-based modelling (ABM). It is applied to illustrate the quantitative and spatial effect of the two phases Light Rail Transit (LRT) development in Asia New Bay Area,

ABSTRACT The recent Covid-19 outbreak has had a tremendous impact on the world, and many countries are struggling to help incoming patients and at the same time, rapidly enact new public health measures such as lock downs. Many of these decisions are guided by the outcomes of so-called Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) models that operate on a national level. Here we introduce the Flu

This paper proposes a bi-objective multi-period bus headway setting problem while considering the influence of electronic bus station boards on passengers’ choice behaviour. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGAII) based local search algorithm is developed to find the approximate Pareto front in terms of two objectives (i.e., expected average travel time of passengers and fleet size).

This paper investigates the dynamics of communication on social media, related to the spread of rumours, by studying the impact of micro-level agent interactions within social media discussions, on macro-level outcomes related to the diffusion of rumours. An agent-based framework is used to model social media discussions, modularly describing heterogeneous agents with differentiating characteristics

In this paper, the effect of load bundling on overall costs, service level, and CO$_2$ emissions is evaluated for a multi-stage, multi-item supply chain. A simulation-based optimisation approach is used to optimize the inventory management parameters reorder point and lot size. The optimisation approach consists of a simulation model and a metaheuristic search procedure, which is a subclass of the

Simulation of ad hoc networks requires the use of a realistic human mobility model to give credibility to computer-based performance evaluations. To this end, a number of models have appeared in the literature from which the self-similar least-action walk model (SLAW) stands out as an approach mainly intended to incorporate several statistical properties of human motion. Although it is generally accepted

ABSTRACT This paper describes the modelling process of soft-linking two system dynamics models of the automotive ecosystem: the Powertrain Technology Transition Market Agent model and the Transport, Energy, Economics, Environment model. The objective of this work is to explore future battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric powertrain deployment in key electro-mobility markets: China, European

One strategy to reduce inventories and increase on-time delivery is to use Advanced Demand Information (ADI) in which customers place their orders ahead of their due date. ADI can be divided into perfect or imperfect information. Under perfect ADI, customers send accurate demand information to the suppliers, specifying exact quantities and due dates. Under imperfect ADI, customer orders’ quantities

This work focuses on internal logistics (IL), which is defined as the flows of materials inside the same business or the same plant. We centre on the IL activities of a car-assembling company. The main objective is to propose simulation models’ concepts that evaluate assembling lines under the IL point of view. We present a real case study based on SEAT S.A., a company in the Volkswagen group. We developed

A scheduling algorithm is crucial for running a simulation model so that tasks can be performed efficiently.The traditionally used blade-based parallel engine system cannot be adapted to a new simulation model. This study proposed a combined dynamic priority and static method, that is, a hybrid load-balancing scheduling (HLB) algorithm. The algorithm is given priority according to the operating cycle

ABSTRACT The Basel III regulation raised the minimum capital requirements for banks. However, its implementation may not have reduced systemic risks. Academicians investigating optimal banking regulations do not have a consensus on whether to increase or decrease capital requirements. Here, we use the agent-based approach to study capital regulation and its implications on the evolution of the banking

The reliability of the transportation network is studied by simulating the attack on the important edges. The important edges are deliberately attacked, and the impedance of the attacking edges is set to infinity. Then the influence of the characteristics of single failure edge on network reliability change and the influence of failure edge number on network reliability change are studied. Two test

This paper introduces a new approach to hybrid traffic modelling, along with its implementation in software. The software allows modellers to assign traffic models to individual links in a network. Each model is a plugin that implements a series of methods, referred to as the modelling interface. These methods are used by the program to exchange information between adjacent models. Traffic controllers

ABSTRACT Governing human-environmental ecosystems is a complex problem. Rule-based fisheries models are faced with several challenges. First, for large geographical problems like oceans, they require considerable time to find satisfactory solutions. Second, they tend to be reactive rather than anticipatory. Behavioural assumptions directly impact fishers’ capacity for adaptation and behaviour, which

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is the main tool used in analyzing supply chains (SCs). In many simulation studies the effect of the modeling approach on SC performance is ignored. Many researches have overlooked the fact that in DES where events are the drivers of variable changes; the modeler has the option to change these variables pre or post delay event occurrence. In SCs this choice is critical

(2021). Climate change adaptation in rural South Africa: Using stakeholder narratives to build system dynamics models in data-scarce environments. Journal of Simulation: Vol. 15, Model-Based Governance in a Sustainable World, pp. 5-22.

ABSTRACT In an early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals in England were asked to postpone elective treatments in order to accommodate the expected demand for COVID-19 related admissions. This study aims to forecast the extent to which waiting times could increase as a result of these measures, and estimate the level of effort required to restore performance to pre COVID-19 levels. A time-driven

Percentile is an important risk measure quantifying the stochastic system random behaviours. This paper studies a pooled percentile estimator, which is the sample percentile of detailed simulation outputs after directly pooling independent sample paths together. We derive the asymptotic representation of the pooled percentile estimator and further prove its normality. By comparing with the classical

Conceptual modelling is a continuous and iterative process that is essential for simulation projects. However, it often does not receive due consideration. In this sense, many projects document and/or perform the conceptual modelling without following good practices, which ends up affecting the next stages of the simulation. This work aims to identify the state of the art and patterns of conceptual

ABSTRACT This paper describes a means of rapid assessment and review of simulation modelling through drawing upon the Evidence Framework Approach (EFA). The work described focuses on supporting reviewers of modelling, although the method can also be re-purposed to support modellers in the modelling process. The EFA has been used to review new ideas, several months of work, and several years of work

Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is a layer-by-layer, skin-saving surgical method for excising skin cancer. The number of excised layers is stochastic, which creates operational challenges for the clinic. We develop a discrete-event simulation of a MMS surgical clinic to investigate how appointment schedules impact clinic operations. The model simulates the patient flow for a single day with physician

Current data-driven traffic prediction models are usually trained with large datasets, e.g., several months of speeds and flows. Such models provide very good fit for ordinary road conditions, but often fail just when they are most needed: when traffic suffers a sudden and significant disruption, e.g., a road incident. In this work, we describe QTIP: a simulation-based framework for quasi-instantaneous

A challenge for investors in P2P lending marketplaces is to find an effective allocation of their funds across different loans by assessing the widespread collapse of lending platforms and each loan’s default risk. This paper investigates risk-averse/risk-tolerant/risk-neutral investors’ and borrowers’ transaction behaviours, as well as P2P lending platforms’ operating mechanism. A Heterogeneous Investors

We discuss the use of formal discrete-event modelling and simulation for networking applications, in particular, for mobile networks and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). We show how one can develop discrete-event model libraries based on the DEVS formalism for mobile networks, allowing tracking the users’ upload status in a given area of coverage, while using a non-cooperative algorithm or Coordinated

A scenario-based questionnaire is a survey method that aims to identify the respondents’ decision rules using their responses to a series of scenarios. It is rarely used in agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS) with most researchers preferring a survey with closed questions as the data collection method. This is particularly true for ABMS studies in agri-food supply chains. In our paper, we design

In view of the phenomenon of the guarantee network formed by the mutual guarantee of Chinese enterprises. First, the mechanism of crisis formation in regional guarantee circles is analysed through the network contagion effect, then the enterprise and guarantee model are constructed using the agent method. Second, the evolution rules of a regional guarantee circle crisis under different situations are

ABSTRACT Modelling has been used extensively by all national governments and the World Health Organisation in deciding on the best strategies to pursue in mitigating the effects of COVID-19. Principally these have been epidemiological models aimed at understanding the spread of the disease and the impacts of different interventions. But a global pandemic generates a large number of problems and questions

This paper studies an important real-life perishable inventory management problem, which has not been properly addressed by the existing research. In the problem setting, a number of agents are renting spaces/shelves from a landlord, the inventory capability of each agent is limited to the rent space, and agents are risk-averse due to their budget. The objective is to maximize the profits of the agents/retailers

The goal of this study is to introduce a new design approach of the EPCglobal network considering activities of actors in a supply chain via agent-based simulation (ABS). The EPCglobal network provides track and trace services of shipments for internal and external subscribers, based on electronic product code (EPC) data generated from radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. To maintain dependable

ABSTRACT Gaming simulations (games) for policy and decision making have been the neglected “sibling” of educational and training games. The latter have experienced a widespread usage by practitioners and researchers, while the former have had limited, yet slowly increasing, adoption by organisations. As a result, various issues developing and using these games remain unaddressed. This includes the

ABSTRACT Vehicle sharing systems are becoming increasingly popular. The effectiveness of such systems depends, among other factors, on different strategic and operational management decisions and policies, like the dimension of the fleet or the distribution of vehicles. It is of foremost importance to be able to anticipate and evaluate the potential effects of such strategies before they can be successfully

The academic achievement gap in the United States education system persists despite significant investments and efforts to correct it. Research reveals potential functions – priorities, readiness, expectation and motivation – performed by four stakeholders – students, teachers, schools and parents. A system dynamics simulation is proposed that captures the stakeholders and their functions to facilitate

ABSTRACT The rapid decarbonisation of transportation is critical if global efforts to mitigate the worst possible impacts of anthropogenic climate change are to be successful. Transportation is a leading sectoral contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and demand for transportation continues to grow globally. Alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) powered by fuels such as electricity, hydrogen, and biofuels

Simple models are considered useful for decision making, especially when decisions are made by a group of stakeholders. This paper describes an experimental study that investigates whether the level of model detail affects users’ learning. Our subjects, undergraduate students, were asked to solve a resource utilisation task for an ambulance service problem. They worked in groups under three different

Hospital bed management is crucial to ensure that patients do not have to wait for the right bed for their care. A simulation model has been developed that mimics the bed management rules applied to the Trauma & Orthopaedic wards of a busy Welsh hospital. The model includes forecasting methodologies to predict the number of emergency admissions, split by gender. The model uses near real-time admission

A deterministic Material Flow Analysis (MFA) simulation tool has been developed within Microsoft Excel allowing the user to simply and quickly enter relevant material and logistics data. This data is then processed mathematically stepping through time in user-specified intervals assessing stock levels and vehicle status. The monitoring of the material flow in this manner provides data resolution that