This book is based on the “Summer Simulation Multi-Conference” (SCSC), which has been a prominent platform for the dissemination of scholarly research in the M&S community for the last 50 years. In keeping with the conference’s seasonal title, the authors have called this half-century “the summer of simulation,” and it has led not only to simulation-based disciplines but also simulation as a discipline. This book discusses contributions from the SCSC in four sections. The first section is an introduction to the work. The second section is devoted to contributions from simulation research fellows who were associated with the SCSC, while the third section features the SCSC’s most influential contributions. Lastly, the fourth section includes contributions from the best papers in the last five years. Features: • A comprehensive volume dedicated to one of the simulation domain’s major conferences: the SCSC • Offers a scientometric analysis of the SCSC • Revisits high-impact topics from 50 years of the SCSC • Includes chapters by simulation research fellows associated with the SCSC • Presents updated best-paper contributions from the recent conference This work will be of value to anyone interested in the evolution of modeling and simulation over the last fifty years. Readers will gain a perspective on what drove this evolution, and develop an understanding of the key contributions that allowed this technology to grow into its own academic discipline and profession.

Simulation Modelling has been used for many years in the manufacturing sector but has now become a mainstream tool in business situations. This is partly because of the popularity of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and other process based improvement methods that use simulation to help analyse changes in process design. This text book includes case studies in both manufacturing and service situations to demonstrate the usefulness of the approach. A further reason for the increasing popularity of the technique is the development of business orientated and user-friendly windows-based software. This text provides a guide to the use of ARENA, SIMUL8 and WITNESS simulation software systems which are widely used in industry and available to students. Overall this text provides a practical guide to building and implementing the results from a simulation model. All the steps in a typical simulation study are covered including data collection, input data modelling and experimentation.

This book is dedicated to improving healthcare through reducing delays experienced by patients. With an interdisciplinary approach, this new edition, divided into five sections, begins by examining healthcare as an integrated system. Chapter 1 provides a hierarchical model of healthcare, rising from departments, to centers, regions and the “macro system.” A new chapter demonstrates how to use simulation to assess the interaction of system components to achieve performance goals, and Chapter 3 provides hands-on methods for developing process models to identify and remove bottlenecks, and for developing facility plans. Section 2 addresses crowding and the consequences of delay. Two new chapters (4 and 5) focus on delays in emergency departments, and Chapter 6 then examines medical outcomes that result from waits for surgeries. Section 3 concentrates on management of demand. Chapter 7 presents breakthrough strategies that use real-time monitoring systems for continuous improvement. Chapter 8 looks at the patient appointment system, particularly through the approach of advanced access. Chapter 9 concentrates on managing waiting lists for surgeries, and Chapter 10 examines triage outside of emergency departments, with a focus on allied health programs Section 4 offers analytical tools and models to support analysis of patient flows. Chapter 11 offers techniques for scheduling staff to match patterns in patient demand. Chapter 12 surveys the literature on simulation modeling, which is widely used for both healthcare design and process improvement. Chapter 13 is new and demonstrates the use of process mapping to represent a complex regional trauma system. Chapter 14 provides methods for forecasting demand for healthcare on a region-wide basis. Chapter 15 presents queueing theory as a method for modeling waits in healthcare, and Chapter 16 focuses on rapid delivery of medication in the event of a catastrophic event. Section 5 focuses on achieving change. Chapter 17 provides a diagnostic for assessing the state of a hospital and using the state assessment to select improvement strategies. Chapter 18 demonstrates the importance of optimizing care as patients transition from one care setting to the next. Chapter 19 is new and shows how to implement programs that improve patient satisfaction while also improving flow. Chapter 20 illustrates how to evaluate the overall portfolio of patient diagnostic groups to guide system changes, and Chapter 21 provides project management tools to guide the execution of patient flow projects.

The only book to present the synergy between modeling and simulation, systems engineering, and agent technologies expands the notion of agent-based simulation to also deal with agent simulation and agent-supported simulation. Accessible to both practitioners and managers, it systematically addresses designing and building agent systems from a systems engineering perspective.

Real-Time Simulation Technologies: Principles, Methodologies, and Applications is an edited compilation of work that explores fundamental concepts and basic techniques of real-time simulation for complex and diverse systems across a broad spectrum. Useful for both new entrants and experienced experts in the field, this book integrates coverage of detailed theory, acclaimed methodological approaches, entrenched technologies, and high-value applications of real-time simulation—all from the unique perspectives of renowned international contributors. Because it offers an accurate and otherwise unattainable assessment of how a system will behave over a particular time frame, real-time simulation is increasingly critical to the optimization of dynamic processes and adaptive systems in a variety of enterprises. These range in scope from the maintenance of the national power grid, to space exploration, to the development of virtual reality programs and cyber-physical systems. This book outlines how, for these and other undertakings, engineers must assimilate real-time data with computational tools for rapid decision making under uncertainty. Clarifying the central concepts behind real-time simulation tools and techniques, this one-of-a-kind resource: Discusses the state of the art, important challenges, and high-impact developments in simulation technologies Provides a basis for the study of real-time simulation as a fundamental and foundational technology Helps readers develop and refine principles that are applicable across a wide variety of application domains As science moves toward more advanced technologies, unconventional design approaches, and unproven regions of the design space, simulation tools are increasingly critical to successful design and operation of technical systems in a growing number of application domains. This must-have resource presents detailed coverage of real-time simulation for system design, parallel and distributed simulations, industry tools, and a large set of applications.