Choosing and adapting design notations in the principled development of complex systems simulations for research

Abstract

The use of complex system simulation as a research tool is facilitated by principled development; software quality assurance, an important part of fitness for purpose, can be assisted by use of model driven engineering (MDE) techniques. The paper addresses two key aspects of MDE for simulation development: the choice of appropriate modelling languages, and language adaptation, illustrated from a cell division and differentiation simulation development, for use in research on prostate conditions. The resulting language has potential for general modelling of reactive and transitional systems.