Workshop: Research Challenges in Modeling & Simulation for Engineering Complex Systems; Arlington, Virginia; December 2015

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Computer-based models and simulations are vital technologies needed in advanced economies to guide the design of complex systems. For example, increased urbanization will necessitate investments of trillions of dollars globally in the next two decades toward the development of urban infrastructures such as transportation, water, and energy. A significant portion of this investment is needed to address concerns regarding the aging infrastructure in the United States. Computer models and simulation are essential to guide this re-design of major cities in order to realize increased sustainability and resilience to natural and human-caused disasters. Similarly, modeling and simulation are essential technologies to design complex systems in industries such as aerospace, manufacturing, logistics and supply chains, telecommunications, computer and information systems, health care, defense, and homeland security, among others. However, the development and use of reliable computer models and simulations is today time consuming and expensive. Engineered systems are continually increasing in complexity and scale. Advances in modeling and simulation technologies are essential to maximize the effectiveness of computer-based tools to engineer the increasingly complex systems needed in the future. Further, recent technological advances such as cloud computing, novel computer architectures, big data, and the Internet of Things necessitate new developments in modeling and simulation to fully exploit these capabilities. This project will convene a workshop that brings together leading researchers from disparate disciplines to identify and articulate the most important, impactful modeling and simulation research problems and questions that must be addressed to maximize the impact of new modeling and simulation technologies. The results of this workshop will inform future research investments in modeling and simulation, and ultimately, enable the creation of more effective and less costly engineered, complex systems. The workshop will address key topical areas in modeling and simulation. Conceptual modeling will be examined to determine how teams of individuals from different disciplines can best create sophisticated, reliable models of complex systems. Advanced computational methods will examine topics such as exploitation of new computing capabilities and technologies. Techniques and methodologies to manage uncertainty in the design of complex systems will be addressed. Approaches to enable and facilitate model reuse will be explored to accelerate and reduce of cost of creating effective computational models.