Communication of Simulation and Modelling Activities in Early Systems Engineering

Abstract

In this paper we present a framework that aids and supports communication of modeling and simulation activities in early systems engineering. We do this by analyzing existing simulation and modelling frameworks, both in systems engineering as well as more generic frameworks. For each framework, we discuss its purpose, main outcomes and the tools and methods used in the framework. Using this overview, we argue that in order to apply simulation and modeling techniques fully in conceptual systems design, it is necessary to use a framework focused on communication and aimed at four key issues. We extract a generic process from the discussed frameworks and discuss for each step of this process how these issues should be addressed. We also explain how this framework should be supported with tooling. Finally we discuss a simulation study of a medical imaging system that gave us initial experiences on the approach presented here. We conclude that this framework shows promise in supporting the communication of a modeling and simulation study in a multidisciplinary setting.

Collective understanding of system behavior : incorporating simulations in conceptual systems design

“…The involved division is the interventional X-ray (iXR) group of Philips Healthcare. Philips iXR develops so-called angiographic 2 imaging systems that use X-ray radiation to provide images to a physician during interventional cardiac, vascular or neurological procedures. Philips iXR is market leader in this segment.…”

“…While the research presented in this thesis reflects the development process at the iXR department of the healthcare division of Royal Philips, abstractions have been made to preserve confidentiality. Statements or conclusions are made from the viewpoint of the researcher and not made by Royal Philips 2 Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside of blood vessels and organs of the body [Wikipedia, 2015a] One of the key focuses of Philips iXR is to provide images with high clarity, while using a minimal amount of X-ray radiation. Physicians use these images to both diagnose the medical problem of the patient and monitor the position and movements of medical tools inside the patient's body.…”

“…[Law, 2014] was selected because this is one of the most well-known descriptions of simulation studies and is one of the few that emphasize communication. The resulting simulation process with an explicit distinction between the problem and solution domain has been described in [Haveman and Bonnema, 2015a]. This process is visualized in Figure 4 Figure 4.1 -A simulation study process applicable to conceptual systems design [Haveman and Bonnema, 2015a], based on [Law, 2014] This means that step 1 & 6 are fully in the problem domain and 2 & 5 partly.…”

“…The arrows indicate that the process is iterative and can return to any previous step. Section 4.3.2 shortly discusses these steps, but [Law, 2014] and [Haveman and Bonnema, 2015a] describe the individual steps in further detail.…”

Aircraft Systems Conceptual Design : An object-oriented approach from <element> to <aircraft>

“…An overview of frameworks that enable the communication/process between the design task (induced by the stakeholders), modelling and simulation can be found in [Haveman et al, 2015]. Further SE references are [INCOSE, 2015], [NASA, 2007], [DoD, 2008] or [Martin, 1996].…”