Simulate Functional Models

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Proprietary of SPEC Innovations® May 18, 2023 Dr. Steven Dam

Ask Us Your Questions
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-Ask us your questions using the panel
on the right.
-This presentation is being recorded
and will be made available to you on
our website and through email.
-Contact us after the webinar through
● support@Innoslate.com
● Call 571.485.7800
● LinkedIn: “Innoslate Users and
Systems Engineers” Group
● Twitter: @specinnovations

Meet Your Host
• President and Founder of SPEC
Innovations
• Participated in the development of
C4ISR and DoDAF
• Expert Systems Engineering
Professionals Certificate
• steven.dam@specinnovations.com
• @stevenhdam
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Agenda
• Why Do We Simulate?
• What Kinds of Simulation Are Appropriate for
Systems Engineering?
• What is Discrete Event Simulation?
• What is Monte Carlo Simulation?
• How Does Scripting Enhance Simulations?
• How Are Costs, Timing, Resources, and Physical
Constraints Used in Simulation?
• How Do Systems Simulations Work with Design
Engineering Simulations?
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Why Do We Simulate?
• With the emphasis today on “model-based” systems engineering
(MBSE), many practitioners spend a significant amount of time
“modeling the system”
• For the most part, this activity tends to focus on drawing diagrams
using a database tool to capture the results
• But how do we know these models are correct?
• … through simulation of the models
• Simulation can help us ensure that the models are logically correct,
and when properly calibrated, become predictive tools for developing
performance requirements
• Simulation is also used during the V&V portion of the lifecycle to
extend test results (often the source of the calibration) to a broader
range of scenarios, thus reducing the need to “test everything”
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What Kinds of Simulation Are Appropriate
for Systems Engineering?
• Many types of simulation are
available for engineering activities
• Design engineers focus on
physics-based modeling of detailed system components or
broad environmental affects (e.g., most of the Ansys toolset)
• Systems engineering models processes primarily, thus Discrete
Event and Monte Carlo simulations have proven very effective
over the years
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What is Discrete Event Simulation?
• “A discrete-event simulation
(DES) models the operation of a
system as a (discrete) sequence of
events in time.”
• Since a behavior model is a set of
steps (events) that require a certain
amount of time to complete,
discrete event can be used to step
through the model and dynamically
calculate the resulting time and
other parameter of the overall
operation of the system
• The simulation can be executed step
by step to aid in “debugging” the
simulation
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What is Monte Carlo Simulation?
• “A Monte Carlo simulation is used to
model the probability of different
outcomes in a process that cannot easily
be predicted due to the intervention
of random variables. It is a technique used
to understand the impact of risk and
uncertainty.”
• Random variables occur in process models
from decision points and distributions in
time, resources, and costs.
• Monte Carlo works by using the same
process model, sampling the random
variables and using those values for each
iteration through the model
• The number of iterations required
depends on the complexity of the model
and desired confidence level
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How Does Scripting Enhance Simulations?
• Scripting provides a means to
determine how decision points
operate and perform other
simple functions that affect the
timing, resources, or other
parameters of the model
• Innoslate autogenerates common
scripts, but they can then be
edited by the user
• A scripting guide is available
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• Scripting guide is an online
resource
• Provides insight into how to use
the built-in scripts and how to
build more complex scripts
• Documents the simulator APIs
• Provides examples of using the
APIs
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• Example: Synchronizing ORs
• Often, we want to have a decision
by one actor affect the decision of
another actor
• Once the first actor makes a
decision, that result is captured in a
global variable
• The trigger keeps the second actor
waiting for the first actor’s decision
• The second actor retrieves the
decision and uses its value to
determine the path
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How Are Costs, Timing, Resources, and
Physical Constraints Used in Simulations?
• Costs, timing, resources, and physical constraints can be added to
the simulation to add realism and address the key goal of systems
engineering: optimize cost, schedule, and performance
• Fixed, distribution, and hourly costs can be added to each step
• Timing can be added to each step as a duration attribute (fixed or
distribution)
• Resources can be produced, seized, or consumed by any step
• Physical constraints, such as the latency and capacity of a Conduit,
can be added when associated with an I/O (size)
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How Are Costs, Timing, Resources, and
Physical Constraints Used in Simulations?
• Associating cost entities with
actions (step) is simply using the
incurs/incurred by relationship
• Timing is put into the duration
attribute of the action
• Resources require both the
relationship allocation and a
number or distribution be added
to the relationship attribute
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How Do Systems Simulations Work with
Design Engineering Simulations?
• Recently there has been a big focus on “digital engineering, digital
twins, digital threads, and digital ecosystems”
• The idea is to create simulations of systems that mirror the behavior
of real systems
• To do this, “integration” of the mission, systems, and design
engineering level simulations has been proposed
• Many difficulties occur when trying to “integrate” these different
levels of simulation, including the very different time regimes of the
different levels of simulation
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How Do Systems Simulations Work with
Design Engineering Simulations?
• Innoslate can co-simulate with
MATLAB/Simulink and STK
• MATLAB provides access to existing
mathematical calculations and
affects the timing
• STK provides access to geospatial
tools that provide constraints on the
timing of system model
• Only works with discrete event
simulator in Enterprise version
• Innoslate can also access CSV data
files and hyperlinks to other
internet addresses for co-
simulation
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New APIs: matlab.post and matlab.get
New APIs
for STK

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Send in questions using the panel on the right.

Wednesday, June 14th, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET
Getting Started With MBSE:
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SPEC Innovations
@SPECInnovations
Innoslate Users Group
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571.485.7800
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