Abstract
With the increasing complexity of simulation studies, and thus
increasing complexity of simulation experiments, there is a high demand
for better support for their conduction. Recently, model-driven
approaches have been explored for facilitating the specification,
execution, and reproducibility of simulation experiments. However, a
more general approach that is suited for a variety of modeling and
simulation areas, experiment types, and tools, which also allows for
further automation, is still missing. Therefore, we present a novel
model-driven engineering (MDE) framework for simulation studies that
extends the state-of-the-art by means for knowledge sharing across
domains, increased productivity and quality of complex simulation
experiments, as well as reusability and automation. We demonstrate the
practicality of our approach using case studies from three different
fields of simulation (stochastic discrete-event simulation of a cell
signaling pathway, virtual prototyping of a neurostimulator, and finite
element analysis of electric fields), and various experiment types
(global sensitivity analysis, time course analysis, and convergence
testing). The proposed framework can be the starting point for further
automation of simulation experiments, and therefore can assist in
conducting simulation studies in a more systematic and effective manner.
For example, based on this MDE framework, approaches for automatically
selecting and parametrizing experimentation methods, or for planning
following activities depending on the context of the simulation study,
could be developed.