UKSC 84

Book excerpt: UKSC 84 contains the proceedings of the 1984 United Kingdom Simulation Council Conference on Computer Simulation held at the University of Bath, England. The papers describe computer simulation techniques and their applications and cover topics ranging from simulation methodology and software to the various applications of computer simulation in areas such as policy decision-making and planning, biology and medicine, and education. This book is comprised of 52 chapters divided into nine sections and begins by describing an advanced continuous-system simulation language called ESL (ESA Simulation Language), an initiative of the European Space Agency. The papers that follow explore other simulation software, such as MANIP, SYSMOD, COSMOS, Ada, SDL (Simulation Development Language), and SPIRO (Suite of Programs for the Investigation of Recondite Objects). The discussion then turns to a methodology based on artificial intelligence for the design and development of large-scale computer simulations; a formalism for specifying continuous or fixed time-step simulation models that is a straightforward extension of the block-oriented languages, with emphasis on superblocks and tesselations; and simulation of manufacturing and control systems. This book concludes with a chapter that describes a highly efficient compactor for a radar digital database. This monograph will be of interest to students and professionals working in the field of computer simulation.