XML-based DEVS modelling and simulation tracking

Abstract

Discrete event system specification (DEVS) is a modelling and simulation formalism for discrete event dynamic systems. DEVS has known different variants and software implementations to meet specific needs. Unfortunately, these implementations do not necessarily share models and cannot capitalise on model reuse and data exchange. XML, as a meta-language, seems to be an appropriate language for helping modellers with weak programming knowledge. Indeed, XML is adopted as a standard for information exchange and knows an increasingly important use on the web. This work aims at determining an XML-based implementation of DEVS for devising an efficient modelling and simulation framework. After defining and validating our XML schemas, an execution step of these models is defined based on our XML abstract simulator which executes a set of XSLT transformations and generates an XML simulation tree describing the different steps of the system during the simulation time.

Tracking Events as an Add-On Functionality of the Routed DEVS Formalism

“…From a different perspective, more recently, the authors Dahmani et al (2020) have proposed a vocabulary of DEVS defined through an XML schema and an XML abstract simulator. The simulation is executed with XSLT transformations that generate an XML simulation tree at each event occurrence.…”

“…Our solution improves the understanding of the RDEVS formalism as an alternative conceptualization of DEVS models executed over DEVS simulators. As in [Dahmani et al 2020], we get structured data stored in a well-known format that facilitates further analysis. Moreover, in all cases, tracing mechanisms are hidden from the modeler.…”