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Guide to simulation-based disciplines : advancing our computational future
Mittal S., Durak U., Ören T., Springer Publishing Company, Incorporated, New York, NY, 2017. 370 pp. Type: Book (978-3-319612-63-8)
Date Reviewed: Jun 4 2018

Simulation may be considered “the act of imitating the behavior of some situation or some process by means of something suitably analogous” [1]. This edited book, published in Springer’s “Simulation Foundations, Methods, and Applications” series, is intended to be a guide to simulation-based disciplines. It is made up of five parts.

The first part provides information that is essential for appreciating the rest of the book. There are two chapters. The introductory chapter discusses how simulation developed and how it has influenced several fields. A definition of simulation is given. The chapter also focuses on why simulation needs to be done and its benefits. The other chapter in this part looks at modeling and simulation investments made at the global level in various fields, such as manufacturing, healthcare, and so on.

The second part, “Engineering and Architecture,” has six chapters. Chapter 3 discusses the role of simulation in engineering design. Chapter 4 looks at the impact of simulation on systems engineering. There is an interesting section on the limits to modeling in systems engineering. Chapter 5 concentrates on the application of simulation in cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things (IoT). Chapter 6 studies the benefits of simulation in complex adaptive systems. Chapter 7 discusses software engineering and views simulation as a means of gauging the effect of a new solution on a business process. Chapter 8 studies the role of simulation for realizing cost-efficient buildings.

The third part, “Natural Sciences,” has two chapters. Chapter 9 studies the role of computational models and simulation in scientific discovery. Chapter 10 looks at how simulation helps the medical field and healthcare.

The fourth part, “Social Sciences and Management,” has two chapters. Chapter 11, with the eye-catching title “Flipping Coins and Coding Turtles,” looks at simulation in the social sciences. Chapter 12 focuses on simulation in the context of managing enterprises.

The fifth part, “Learning, Education, and Training,” has two chapters. Chapter 13 considers simulation in learning and education. Chapter 14, the last chapter of the book, analyzes simulation in military training.

The editors have impressive backgrounds. The contributors are from several countries, and their affiliations span industry, academia, and research labs. The book contains several interesting applications of simulation in several disciplines. On the whole, the book is impressive. However, some sentences in the book are too long. For example, on page 16:

However, in some cases, model-based approaches have not yet find their way to simulation-based approaches due to either the lack of need for simulation or project time-constraints, for the simple reason that turning a model-based methodology to a simulation-based methodology is a nontrivial effort--albeit very profitable for the success of the project.

In the above sentence, there is an error: “find” should be “found.”

The review questions, references, and author biographies at the end of the chapters are helpful. There are many interesting quotations in the book. The author and subject indices are helpful. The book has many illustrations, including some in color. The book will be a helpful guide for understanding the importance of simulation in various disciplines.

Reviewer:  S. V. Nagaraj Review #: CR146064 (1808-0418)
1) “Simulation.” WordNet. Princeton University, http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=simulation 1997.
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