[comp.simulation] SIMULATION DIGEST V10 N9

simulation@uflorida.cis.ufl.edu (Moderator: Paul Fishwick) (09/05/89)

Volume: 10, Issue: 9, Tue Sep  5 09:45:03 EDT 1989

+----------------+
| TODAY'S TOPICS |
+----------------+

(1) Call for Papers: Dynamic Modelling of Information Systems
(2) Concerning the State of System Dynamics
(3) Call for Papers: International System Dynamics Conference
(4) Looking for a Copy of SAAM (Compartmental Modeling)
(5) Software for Wassily Leontief Methods

* Moderator: Paul Fishwick, Univ. of Florida
* Send topical mail to: simulation@bikini.cis.ufl.edu OR
  post to comp.simulation via USENET
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  directory to pub/simdigest.
* Simulation Tools available by doing above and changing the
  directory to pub/simdigest/tools.



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Organisation: Delft University of Technology, Delft  The Netherlands.
To: comp-simulation%hp4nl@uunet.UU.NET
Path: dutrun!winfave
From: dutrun!winfave@uunet.UU.NET (Alexander Verbraeck)
Newsgroups: comp.simulation
Subject: Call for papers: Dynamic Modelling of Information Systems
Date: 3 Sep 89 00:42:16 GMT
Reply-To: dutrun!winfave@uunet.UU.NET (A.Verbraeck)
Distribution: world
Organization: Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands


                          FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS

                   INTERNATIONAL WORKING CONFERENCE ON
                          DYNAMIC MODELLING OF
                           INFORMATION SYSTEMS

                            Sponsored by NFI

                              Organised by
                     Delft University of Technology
                    Department of Information Systems

                              To be held in
                    Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands

                         April 9th and 10th 1990

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DYNAMIC MODELLING OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

In Information System Design, various models of the situation
that is studied are constructed. In the first phase of the
process, these models are used to ANALYZE the current situation,
in order to reach a better understanding. Eventually, the
emphasis of the modelling process will turn to the DESIGN of
solutions for the problems perceived, and will result in a
choice for and implementation of one of these alternative
solutions.

Information systems should never be considered as a goal in
themselves, but should be seen as a means that enables
management to improve the achievements of information workers,
or the effective use of other resources. This implies that 
in order to be able to use information systems effectively, 
there should be a clear understanding of the problems 
information workers have, and the support that they need in 
order to perform their tasks.

Especially in areas, where the studied system is complex and
hard to understand, DYNAMIC MODELLING of the current situation
is of crucial importance. Without a good understanding of the
system in its dynamic appearance, the designer will not be able
to devise the right solutions. Also this understanding is
necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of different solutions to
be able to make a rational choice.

As information technology is introduced in more complex and less
well described areas, like office systems and decision support,
the need for powerful modelling techniques is increasing.
Techniques like interactive and animated simulation, executable
specifications, prototyping and object oriented specification 
are seen as potential candidates for supporting these complex 
modelling processes.

This international working conference is intended to join the
people who are active in this area. By sharing experiences and
ideas in workshop setting, the conference should lead to an
overall understanding of the state of the art in this area today,
and the research agenda that we should be attacking in the years
to come.

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HOW TO SUBMIT

If you wish to participate in the conference, please fill out
the attached form. If you intend to submit a paper, please give
the (provisional) title as well.

Four copies of an extended abstracts of at least 2000 words
should be sent to:

prof.dr. H.G. Sol
Delft University of Technology
Department of Information Systems
P.O.Box 356
2600 AJ Delft
The Netherlands

or a single copy by E-mail to:

WINFSOL @ HDETUD1 (BITNET/EARN)

These abstracts should be in by November 15th 1989.
A notification of acceptance will be sent in December 1989.
Final copies are due on March 1st 1990.
The papers will be included in conference proceedings only after
oral presentation.


ORGANIZATION

Conference Chairmen

H.G. Sol
K.M. van Hee

Program Committee

G.B. Davis
K.M. van Hee
H.G. Sol
R.H. Sprague Jr.

Organizing Committee

R.C.J. Dur
H.G. Sol
A. Verbraeck
T.F. Verhoef
F.W. Wierda

Delft University of Technology
Department of Information Systems
P.O.Box 356
2600 AJ Delft
The Netherlands

E-mail: WINFSOL at HDETUD1 (BITNET/EARN)

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT DATES

Extended abstracts (at least 2000 words)
November 15th 1989

Notification of acceptance
December 1989

Camera ready copies due
March 1st 1990

Conference
April 9th and 10th 1990

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

FORM TO FILL IN

I want to participate in the conference on Dynamic
Modelling of Information Systems, April 9th and 10th
1990 in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands (y/n):

I intend to present a paper (y/n):

Provisional title of this paper:


Last Name:
Initials:
Organisation:
Address (home/business):
Address:


Postal/zip code:
City:
Country:
Province/state:
E-mail:
Phone:
Fax:
Telex:


Send this form to : WINFSOL @ HDETUD1 (BITNET/EARN)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Alexander Verbraeck                            e-mail: 
Delft University of Technology                 winfave@hdetud1.bitnet
Department of Information Systems              winfave@dutrun.uucp
PO Box 356, 2600 AJ  The Netherlands
---------------------------------------------------------------------




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Date:     Sun, 3 Sep 89 07:50 EDT
From: <GR383%ALBNYVMS.BITNET@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu>
Subject:  state of system dynamics
To: fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu
X-Original-To:  fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu

CONCERNING THE STATE OF SYSTEM DYNAMICS


The field of system dynamics is alive and well and growing slowly.
This note sketches some of its current situation and ends with a list
of sources of more information.

System dynamics practitioners apply computer simulation and a
perspective based on information feedback and circular causality to
dynamic problems.  Their purpose is understanding, policy analysis, and
policy design in complex systems.  To those ends, they build formal
simulation models that capture the structure of systems at the level of
the aggregate behavior of real actors.  They focus on information
available to actors in the system, pressures and incentives
continuously acting upon them, and actions available to them.  The
models that result are capable of exhibiting the endogenous dynamics of
a system and the implications of policy changes.  Of particular
interest is the tendency of system dynamics models to expose a system's
natural tendencies to compensate or counter imposed policy initiatives.
Being nonlinear, system dynamics models also exhibit endogenous shifts
in dominant structure, moving among several regimes or modes of
behavior, including occasionally the newly recognized mode of
deterministic chaos.

The System Dynamics Society was formed in 1984 and now numbers more
than 300 members world-wide.  The journal of the Society, the System
Dynamics Review, was created in 1985 and appears semi-annually.  It now
mails to just under 500 individuals and institutions, a number that has
been growing about 8% or 9% per year since the journal's inception. The
1988 special double issue on chaos may be of special interest.

The field has held annual international conferences for more than 15
years, the most recent of which were under the sponsorship of the
Society and were held at Oslo, Keystone (Colorado), Seville, San Diego,
Shanghai, and Stuttgart.  The 1990 Conference will be in Boston, July
10-13.  The call for papers should appear in this electronic
newsletter.

There are teaching and research programs in system dynamics at numerous
colleges and universities in around the world, including M.I.T., SUNY-
Albany, USC, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, American University (Washington
DC), Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
(Mexico), London Business School, University of Bradford, University of
Bergen, Norwegian School of Business (Oslo), Technical University of
Denmark, the Universities of Stuttgart, Seville and Milan, Asian
Institute of Technology (Bangkok), Fudan University (Shanghai), Sharif
Institute of Technology (Teheran), and many others.  There are even
some exciting initiatives in junior high and high schools (see the
source list below for information).

In the United States and Europe there are numerous consulting firms
that employ the system dynamics approach to develop corporate
understanding, forecast business environments, do strategic planning,
or solve dynamic problems.  Their clients include major oil companies,
major chemical companies, the telephone companies, agencies of federal
and state governments, insurance companies, major computing firms, and
others.  See the source list.

The simulation languages currently employed by most practitioners
include STELLA on the Macintosh, Professional Dynamo on IBM
compatibles, Dysmap on IBM comatibles, various Dynamos on various
mainframe computers.  The icon-oriented model-building capabilities of
STELLA have dramatically expanded the ranks of people who, knowing or
not, are building system dynamics models. The manuals for STELLA
(STELLA for Business, An Academic User's Guide to STELLA) are major
contributions to the teaching literature in the field.  Other important
texts include Roberts et al., Introduction to Computer Simulation, a
system dynamics approach (Addison-Wesley 1982), and Richardson & Pugh,
Introduction to System Dynamics Modeling with Dynamo (MIT Press 1981).

If you have further questions or want more information, I'd be happy to
correspond with you.

George P. Richardson
Executive editor of the System Dynamics Review
Associate professor of public administration and public policy
The Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
State University of New York at Albany
Milne 308 - 135 Western Avenue
Albany, NY 12222.


Information sources for specific topics:

The System Dynamics Society:  Executive director, Julia S. Pugh, 49
Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA 01773.

The System Dynamics Review:  Executive editor, George P. Richardson,
The Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University
of New York at Albany, Milne 308 -135 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12222.

The 1990 International System Dynamics Conference, Boston,
Massachusetts, July 10-13:
Conference manager, Cathy Chazen Stone, The Rockefeller Institute of
Government, 411 State Street, Albany, NY 12203.

STELLA:  Barry Richmond, High Performance Systems, Lyme, NH 03768

Professional DYNAMO:  Alexander L. Pugh, Pugh-Roberts Associates, 5 Lee
St., Cambridge, MA 01239

DYSMAP:  Eric F. Wolstenholme, University of Bradford Management
Centre, Emm Lane, Yorkshire BD9 4JL, UNITED KINGDOM

A few system dynamics consulting groups:
Pugh-Roberts Associates, 5 Lee St., Cambridge, MA 02139
Ventana Systems, Inc., 26 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Sandhill Systems, 289 Great Road, Acton, MA 01720
Federal Group, Inc., 950 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Policy Assessment Corporation, 4343 Rustic Place, St. Paul, MN   55112
High Performance Systems, 13 Dartmouth College Highway, Lyme, NH 03768
System Dynamics Research and Consult, Amsterdam BV, Jacob Obrechtstraat
44, 1071 KN Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

Developments at M.I.T.:  John D. Sterman, associate professor, Sloan
School of Management, M.I.T., E52-562 - 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge,
MA 02139.

Developments in school curricula:
Barry Richmond, High Performance Systems, Lyme, NH 03768
Gordon Brown (emeritus Dean of engineering at MIT), P.O. Box 272,
Grantham, NH 03753
Frank Draper, Orange Grove Junior High School, 1911 E. Orange Grove
Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718


------------------------------

Date:     Sun, 3 Sep 89 07:57 EDT
From: <GR383%ALBNYVMS.BITNET@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu>
Subject:  Call for papers
To: fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu
X-Original-To:  fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu

CALL FOR PAPERS

1990 International System Dynamics Conference
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
July 10-13, 1990

Objective

The conference will bring together practitioners of system dynamics
from business, government and academic organizations around the world
to exchange ideas about theory, methods, and applications.  Previous
international system dynamics conferences have played an important role
in the development of the field.  The 1990 conference in Boston will
follow in the same tradition, providing an opportunity for intense
interchange on key issues.


Format

%  Plenary sessions
%  Parallel sessions
%  Poster sessions
%  Tutorials and workshops
%  Displays and demonstrations
%  Open time for in-depth discussions
%  Meetings of the Society and its committees
There will be opportunities for educators and vendors to set up
permanent displays and software demonstrations during the conference.
Write the conference manager for details.


Topics

%  Corporate applications
%  Public policy
%  Economic planning and forecasting
%  Model analysis and optimization methods
%  Software tools
%  Deterministic chaos
%  Simulation gaming
%  Training and learning environments
%  Teaching tools and methods
%  Other developments in theory and applications


Abstracts

Selection of papers for parallel and poster sessions, tutorials, and
workshops will be based on competitive abstracts.  Plenary papers will
be invited based upon abstracts and selected by peer review of final
drafts.

Abstracts should be approximately 250 words in length.  Three copies of
each abstract should be submitted by November 1, 1989 to:

Cathy Chazen Stone
International System Dynamics Conference
Rockefeller Institute of Government
411 State Street
Albany, NY 12203
(Phone  518-472-1300)


Final Papers

Final papers for accepted abstracts are due on April 15, 1990.
Instructions for the format of final papers will be sent to the first
author of each selected abstract in January, 1990.  Plenary session
papers will be selected on the basis on final papers only.  No paper
may appear in print before the conference.


Proceedings

Papers received by April 15 will be published in the Conference
Proceedings and appear in the printed program.  At least one author
must register for the conference in order for a paper to appear in the
Proceedings.  Submission of a paper grants permission to the System
Dynamics Society to publish the paper in the Conference Proceedings.
Authors retain the copyright and may publish the paper elsewhere after
the conference.  All conference registrants will receive one copy of
the Proceedings.  Copies of the Proceedings can also be purchased from
the Society after the conference.


Site

The conference will be held on the campus of Pine Manor College in
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, five miles from Boston.  The site will be
familiar to those who attended the conference in 1983.  Transportation
from Boston's Logan International Airport is fast and easy.  The rooms
are comfortable yet inexpensive, and conference participants will enjoy
special dining and entertainment treats.  Boston's many attractions are
close by.  Family members will be perfectly situated to enjoy Boston's
shops, restaurants, museums, historical sites, and more.  Tours will be
available for those not attending the conference sessions.


Organizing Committee

Chairman
  David F. Andersen, SUNY-Albany
Program
  George P. Richardson, SUNY-Albany
  John D. Sterman, MIT
Local arrangements
  Nathan B. Forrester, Sandhill Systems
  Julia S. Pugh, System Dynamics Society
Demonstrations and displays
  Alan K. Graham, MIT
Publicity
  Robert L. Eberlein, Ventana Systems
  Michael J. Radzicki, University of Notre Dame
Conference manager
  Cathy Chazen Stone, Rockefeller Institute of Government



------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Sep 89 23:39:53 PDT
From: annala%neuro.usc.edu@usc.edu (A J Annala)
To: simulation@bikini.cis.ufl.edu
Subject: NIH SAAM-25 Compartmental Modeling Program
Newsgroups: comp.simulation
In-Reply-To: <20653@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Cc: 

I used SAAM-25 on a CDC-6600 many years ago to simulate turnover of
lippoproteins in various physiological compartments.  Does anyone
know where I might obtain an updated copy of SAAM to run on either
my local SUN workstation and/or on a UNICOS CRAY-2?  I am interested
in exploring its application to biological neural network modeling.

Thanks, AJ Annala, USC Neuroscience Program

p.s.  Please send direct email replies to: annala%neuro.usc.edu@usc.edu



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To: SIMULATION@UFL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.simulation
Subject: Interindustry Analysis?
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Monday, 4 Sep 1989 09:26:23 EDT
From: David L. Passmore <DLP%PSUVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>

Anyone aware of any software to implement versions of Wassily
Leontief's methods, which usually go under the titles "Input-Output
Models, "Interindustry Models"?



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END OF SIMULATION DIGEST
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