Efficient development of domain-specific simulation modelling languages and tools

Abstract

This paper presents an approach which facilitates efficient development of domain-specific simulation modelling languages and tools for discrete-event systems. The work is motivated by a set of properties which in combination are not well supported by established frameworks. These include the provisioning of object-oriented description means, means for specifying domain-specific concepts with a distinct notation and semantics, the possibility of including general-purpose concepts into domain-specific ones, low cost tool support including an editor, a debugger, and a simulator, simulation primitives with fast execution, and extensibility means for enabling access to externally implemented simulation-specific functionality. We present a prototype that partly implements these properties. It combines established techniques derived from metamodel-based language development and extensible simulation modelling. The value is demonstrated by applying the approach to an example language from the domain of reactive systems and by comparing it to related approaches. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.