25th European Simulation and Modelling Conference- ESM'2011, October 24-26, 2011, Guimaraes, Portugal, Conference Workshops

CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Discrete Simulation Modeling Techniques and Tools

Simulation Modeling Techniques, namely those concerned about discrete event simulation, usually play a crucial role in teaching and learning approaches to simulation. Nevertheless the classical simulation approach would be used to introduce students to the area of simulation – Event World View, Process World View or Activity World View, there is a permanent difficulty to focus on the basics of simulation, to focus on the foundations of simulation. In fact, in most cases, the need for some background on computer programming will tend to neglect those matters and concentrate on syntax details of some programming language rather than on a full comprehension of simulation basic concepts. This track is then intended to concentrate on new developments as far as simulation modeling techniques is concerned, including the use of graphical approaches to simulation modeling and also to the automatic generation of simulation programs. Contributions based on Event Scheduling approaches, Activity Cycle Diagrams approach or Process Flow approaches are most welcome. Contributions related to educational concerns but also contributions related to industrial applications are encouraged.

The following topic areas within this track on Discrete Simulation Modeling Techniques and Tools (although this list should not be treated as exclusive), will be object of interest:

• Discrete Event Simulation
• Event Scheduling
• Activity Cycle Diagrams
• Process Flow
• Visual Modeling Tools
• Visualization and Animation Tools
• Business Process Modeling
• Simulation Methodology
• Simulation Education
• Simulation Industrial Applications
• Flowchart Simulation
• Automatic Generation of Simulation Programs

Organized by:

Submit your proposal on Discrete Simulation Modeling Techniques and Tools here

Logistics and Simulation

Supply Chain management is concerned with the flow of goods and associated information flows from suppliers (raw materials) to the end users (products). It involves the integrated and systematic coordination of traditional business activities within a particular company and across companies along the supply chain aiming to improve the overall performance. It includes areas such as: materials management, transportation management, warehouse management, distribution management, among others. Supply Chain systems are complex and interest in Supply Chain management has grown in the last years both by practitioners and academics. New models and tools have been proposed to address the management of Supply Chain. In particular, simulation has been used as an important decision support tool to evaluate alternative decisions.

This track is intended to concentrate on papers that propose applications on supply chain simulation showing how this technique can play an important role as a decision support system in the Supply Chain context.

The following topic areas within this track on Logistics and Simulation (although this list should not be treated as exclusive), will be object of interest:

• Supply chain – network design
• Supply Chain planning
• Operations planning
• Warehouse operations
• Transportation Planning
• Distribution Planning

Organized by:

Submit your proposal on Logistics and Simulation here

Simulation and Optimization

The aim of this track is to provide a forum for high quality research on simulation and optimization problems. Plenty of hard problems in a huge variety of areas, including logistics, network design, bioinformatics, engineering, business, etc., have been tackled successfully with simulation and optimization approaches. An entire decade passed from the promissory initial contribution for the “Wedding Optimization and Simulation” and it will be an important opportunity to perform an overview over the past and discuss the new trends to the future.

Simulation optimization is a promising field of research, used in practical simulation applications and being incorporated into simulation software tools. This track is a forum for discussion and presentation of new contributions and also an overview of simulation optimization, but with an emphasis on problems with discrete decision variables.

The Simulation and Optimization track at ESM invites original and unpublished contributions in any topic concerning applications of simulation for all kinds of optimization problems. See the list of suggested (but not limited to) topics at:

• Applications of simulation to optimization problems
• Theoretical developments in simulation and optimization
• Neighbourhoods and efficient searching algorithms
• Variation operators for stochastic search methods
• Insight into problem characteristics of problem classes
• Comparisons between different (also exact) techniques
• Incorporation of optimization Packages / Toolkits / Toolboxes in Simulation Software
• Commercial software packages

Organized by:

Submit your abstract/paper proposal for this track on Simulation and Optimizationhere

Agent-Based Simulation

Agent Based Simulation is an inter-disciplinary area which brings together researchers from different areas, the social simulation and the Multiagent Systems. The focus of Agent Based Simulation is on simulating and organization social behaviours in order to understand real social systems via the development and testing of new concepts.

The following topic areas (although this list should not be treated as exclusive), will be object of interest:

• Agent-based simulation techniques and methodologies
• Agent Architectures, Model Specification and Languages
• Decision making and Strategies
• Game Theory and Fuzzy logic for agent-based modeling
• Discrete-event simulation in Multi-Agent Systems
• Multi-Level Simulation and Emergence
• Simulation toolkits and frameworks
• Applications in Ecology and Environment, Psychology, Cognitive Science and AI, Economics and Market Systems, Business Process Management, Industry, Manufacturing and Logistics and Transport and Healthcare with the emphasis on simulation and modeling

The aim of this workshop is to allow the debate on emerging issues, gathering the scientific community researching in these areas. This workshop is a forum for discussion and presentation of new contributions on Agent-based simulation

Thus, it is intended:
• to identify the critical points of the use of Agent-based simulation as well as processes and the areas where is needed an urgent action;
• to present and discuss new approaches, trends and innovative aspects of the Agent-based simulation;
• to promote the use of Agent-based simulation and to explore ways to overcome resistance to change;
• to analyze the level of use of Agent-based simulation in Europe and to compare with the world situation.

With this workshop it is expected that the scientific community gets some
directions from what has been done and what can be done by motivating the
researching and the search for new solutions in the area of Agent Based Simulation

Organized by:

Submit your abstract/paper proposal for this track on Agent Based Simulation here

Intelligent Systems

Intelligent Systems (IS) proliferate in many areas of human activity that involve the resolution of complex problems. The IS comprise a mixture of rules-based systems or systems based on learning techniques (e.g. Artificial Neural Networks, Decision Trees, Linear Regression and Ensembles) and can be considered central in the scientific area of Artificial Intelligence and the Intelligent Agents. Some of these systems attempt to mimic the human decision process and organizational management, while others provide previsions based on data mining techniques(DM). It is clear that the use of IS improves organizational processes. The use of these systems seeks to simplify the administrative processes as well as support and streamline the entire process of decision making.
The introduction of subjects like Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining and Ubiquity in Information Systems promotes the creation of predictive and decision models, and the access to the important information’s by the professionals wherever they are. However, in some areas the use of IS, is still viewed with some suspicion.

The aim of this track is to allow the debate on emerging issues, gathering the scientific community that develops research work in these areas. This track is a forum for discussion and presentation of new contributions on the use of Intelligent Systems.
Thus, it is intended:

• • to identify the critical points of the use of IS as well as processes
  and the areas where is needed an urgent action;
• • to present and discuss new approaches, trends and innovative aspects of
  the IS;
• • to promote the use of IS and to explore ways to overcome resistance to
  change;
• • to analyze the level of use of IS in Europe and to compare with
  the world situation.

Topics of interest:
• Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Systems;
• IS Architectures ;
• Data Mining;
• Intelligence Ambient;
• Intelligence in Interoperability;
• Intelligent Electronic Health Record;
• Intelligent Decision Support Systems ;
• Machine Learning Systems;
• Intelligent Systems and Security;
• Intelligent Systems in Medicine
• Intelligent Systems for the WEB;
• Ubiquitous Mobile and Real-Time System;

Reasons for the track to be held in the Conference:
Although the potential application of intelligent systems is very high, levels of understanding and acceptance by professionals of some application areas (e.g. medicine) are quite low. It becomes evident the need to promote and discuss the development and implementation of these systems from a technological or organizational perspective in order to demonstrate its usefulness and added value.
With this track it is expected that the scientific community gets some directions from what has been done and what can be done by motivating the researching and the search for new solutions in the area of Intelligent Systems, with the goal to improve the Administrative and the Decision Making processes.

Organized by:

Submit your abstract/paper proposal for this track on Simulation and Optimization here

Real-time GPS Simulation and Service Applications

Introduction
Modern logistics in global supply chains as well as regional and local transport chains are influenced by several trends: Surveys show demand for more open supply chains, more security in supply chains or the cooperation with innovative logistics service providers [DB Schenker Labo-ratories 2009]. Furthermore the importance of track and trace solutions for cargo increases according to the development of the potentials of satellite based traceability services in logistics [He, et al. 2009; Carlino, et al. 2009].

GPS.LAB at ild, FOM University of Applied Science, Essen/Germany
Since this year the ild institute for Logistics and Service Management of FOM University of Ap-plied Sciences, Essen owns a GPS based track and trace system by AIS Advanced InfoData Systems GmbH, Ulm. To use the system and to analyze the results, a laboratory is installed at the institute under the name GPS.LAB. This GPS system can be used for several different ser-vice applications to be shown and discussed in the proposed workshop.

Workshop presentations and findings
The purpose of this workshop is to identify the potential GPS based track and trace system to support analysts and planners in production and logistics alliances. The following topics will be presented
1) “Real-time” calculation of a product carbon footprint to decrease the variance of the ac-tual state-of-the-art CO2 calculation and to approach the calculated values the ones which are emitted in reality.
2) Active Tracking of the delivery of goods as a service for production planners and trans-port planning assistants to estimate arrival times of raw materials or products in just-in-time production alliances.
3) “Mystery Shipping” to evaluate the performance of logistic service providers according to the practice of “mystery shopping”.

Submit your abstract/paper proposal for this track on Real-time GPS Simulation and Service Applications here

Workshop Simulation with Petri Nets

Petri nets were introduced by C.A. Petri as a "finitary combinatorial model of event topology which, is in close correspondence with the models of modern physics, is capable of describing total information flow, and has proven superior to some conventional models both in construction and in analysis of systems of complex organization". Although many other models of concurrent and distributed systems have been developed, Petri nets are still considered "a central model for concurrent systems with respect to both the theory and the applications" due to the natural way they allow to represent reasoning on concurrent active objects which share resources and their changing states.

The huge amount of work invested in making the modelling power of Petri nets formalism more and more intensive, led to a continuous evolution of this area, such that "Petri nets" is currently a generic name for a whole class of models divided into three main layers (ranging from Elementary Net Systems and Place/Transition nets to traditional High Level nets and High Level nets with abstract data types). For the performance evaluation of the modelled system, time execution and/or stochastic processes have also been considered, leading to important extensions to the above general Petri nets classification: Timed and Stochastic Petri nets.

Petri nets are widely considered as an operational (rather than denotational) formalism for Discrete Event Systems. They have proven to be useful in solving difficult discrete-event problems in a variety of application domains such as in software engineering, operating systems, databases, communication and co-operation protocols in distributed systems, manufacturing systems, defence command and control, business processes and telecommunications, etc.
As investigations in this area show, Petri nets also cover a large number of currently active research areas. Despite the great amount of work and achievements, much effort is still to be done to meet the applications requirements.

This workshop is intended to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of original ideas, recent results and achievements by researchers, students and system developers on issues and challenges related to the above domain.
We invite to submit original contributions addressing, but not limited to one of the following topics:
-- Simulation using Petri Net Systems,
-- Place/Transition nets,
-- High-level Petri nets,
-- Timed and Stochastic Petri nets,
-- Temporal and real-time logics with respect to Petri nets,
-- Analysis methods of High Level nets and their time extensions,
-- Modular Petri nets,
-- Object-oriented Petri nets (OOPNs),
-- Computer tools based on OOPNs,
-- Applications of OOPNs.

Submit your proposal on Petri Nets here

Workshop Modelling and Simulation with Bond Graphs

The Bond Graph Workshop will bring experts together for the purpose of discussing new concepts, methods, techniques, tools and applications of this energy-based modelling methodology. Papers dealing with all aspects of the use of bond graphs in system design, analysis, and control are welcome. The workshop will provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent research and applications of the Bond Graph methodology. Research papers are welcome in the following categories of presentation: Tutorials, Panel Discussions, Software and Tools, Bond Graph Theory, Advanced Bond Graph Methodology, Bond Graphs and Block Diagrams, Computer Graphics and Bond Graph Modelling, Qualitative Modelling, Mechatronics Systems, Mechanical Systems and Robotics, Electrical and Power Systems, Control Systems, Thermal and Chemical Systems, Biomechanics and Prosthetics, Ecological Systems, Biological and Medical Systems, Social and Economic Systems, Industrial Applications, Large, Nonlinear Models.

Submit your proposal in bond graph simulation here

DEVS Workshop

The DEVS Workshop will cover: Extensions to the DEVS formalism, DEVS and Distributed DEVS frameworks, DEVS-based next generation VHDL, DEVS standardization, DEVS applications.

Submit your proposal in DEVS here

Fluid Flow Modelling Simulation Workshop

Papers are solicited in:Conventional fluid dynamics, New developments in boundary tracking, adaptive multiscale meshes, algorithm stability, turbulence.

Atomistic methods

Ab-initio and classical molecular dynamics, direct simulation Monte Carlo.

Mesoscopic methods

Lattice gases, lattice-Boltzmann, smoothed particle dynamics, \dissipative particle dynamics, discrete simulation automata, etc.

Hybrid methods

Atomistic-mesoscopic and mesoscopic-continuum: direct simulation Monte Carlo, adaptive-mesh dissipative-particle dynamics, etc.

Multidisciplinary and industrial applications

Chemical and biomedical engineering, automotive, oil extraction and aeronautic industry, flow in porous media, Fluid Dynamics Simulation, Fluid Dynamics Simulation in Turbomachinery Flow Analysis of Pump Turbines, Water, air, vibration analysis through fluid flow modelling, Electromagnetic Field Simulation, Virtual Wind Tunnels, Structural analysis Statics (Stress, Deformation), Dynamics (Vibration), Eigen value, Fatigue, Thermal load Electric power plants, General plant components Computational fluid dynamics Compressible flow, Incompressible flow, Heat transfer, Multiphase/multi component flow, Combustion, Reaction,, Noise (Flow-induced sound) Gas turbines/Steam turbines,Combustors, Nuclear plant components, Hydro turbines, Pumps, Heat exchangers, Piping systems Computational electro-magnetics Static elecromagnetics, Eddy current, Electromagnetic wave, Electric circuit Nuclear fusion reactor, Transformers, Switch gear, Rotating machinery, Inverters/Converters Coupled problems Fluid-structure coupled analysis, (Flow-induced vibration), Fluid-electric field coupled analysis, (Insulation) Heat exchangers, Electric power transmission components.

Submit your proposal in fluid flow simulation here

Models and simulations for Emergency and Risk Management

Multiple and unexpected failures but also catastrophes waiting to happen are built into our "society's complex systems". This is a matter of increasing concern. How should we understand, control or avoid such potential crisis on a local/global scale, where local interactions play a major role?

Simulations are powerful tools in a context where risk is the product of probability of accident by the losses per accident. This risk can be major when it is collective, the occurring frequency is low, the impacts on humans or environment are very important. In this kind of risk, it is necessary to engage exceptional resources to prevent, to foresee and to help. This aspect is very important, but some crises have demonstrated that the problems can be in upstream and it is also necessary to consider the detection, the defects diagnosis and the supervision of risk systems.

We solicit contributions on (not exhaustive):

• Modeling risk (including technical, environmental and human factors) to prevent and to manage
• Tools of analysis, detection and early diagnosis
• Population flow before, during and after the crisis
• Information flow for the emergency
• .....

Submit your proposal in Emergency and Risk management here