Towards a cloud based SME data adapter for simulation modelling

Abstract

Discrete event simulation (DES) is a technique used extensively and effectively by large companies, however it is not widely used by small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) due to complexity and related costs being prohibitively high. In SMEs, DES-related data can be stored in a variety of formats and it is not always evident what data is required (if even available) to support a DES model in relation to specific problem scenarios. Therefore the DES data gathering and preparation phase is where complexity and effort required are highest in order to avoid the potential for erroneous results due to incorrect assumed or real input data. The proposed solution is a Cloud-based adapter that can identify and connect to existing data sources and/or fills gaps in data in relation to defined problem scenarios, thus lowering the barriers for SMEs to gain benefit from DES studies due to reduced complexity and effort.