|
 Root Zone Scalability Study
 Responding to a request from the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board,
the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) and the
Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) commissioned
a study of the potential impact on the operation of the root
server system of adding IPv6 address records, IDN top level names,
other new TLDs, and new records to support DNS security to the
root zone.
A team of experts, known as the Root Scaling Study Team,
commissioned an
independent research organization from
the Netherlands, TNO (the
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) to
conduct research into the scalability
of the root zone.
The DNS
Root Scaling model developed by TNO shows how the
different parts of the root server system are related and how changing
something in one part affects each of the other parts. The model
can be used to quantitatively assess – and therefore prioritize – risks
involved when changing the value of one or more variables
(e.g., the rate at which new TLDs are added to the root, or the
expected frequency of emergency key rollover events in a signed
root) on each of the component of the root server system. Partly
on the basis of the initial results, ICANN has been advised to
temporize and monitor the developments already initiated .
Dynamic
Security: An Agent-Based Model for Airport Defense
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shifted
the focus of airport security in 2004 to incorporate the need to
continuously and rapidly adapt security to shifting threats. MITRE
corporation has developed a Dynamic Security Airport Simulation
as part of a MITRE-sponsored research project in which attacker
and defense behavior in the airport environment are modeled.
The simulation accepts threat vectors (path-weapon combinations)
from other software or the user and models the performance of
the airport defense against those threat vectors. The simulation
includes two intelligent agents: the attacker and the defense.
These agents model the behavior of those two entities; their
logic includes both decision making and learning.
 Bioenergy
Feedstock Information Network
(gateway to a wealth of biomass
feedstock information resources from the U.S. Department of Energy,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, and other research organizations)
This consortium used Extend to create the Integrated
Biomass Supply Analysis & Logistics (IBSAL) model. This biomass supply
chain model starts from defining the logistical features of the supply such as
number of farms involved, average yield, the start and progress of harvest schedule,
and the moisture content of the crop. The model also requires daily weather data
such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, rainfall and snow fall. A
spreadsheet containing equipment specifications provides data for calculating
service times. This information is used in calculating drying and wetting of
the biomass and workability of the soil. The user also defines the safe moisture
content for baling and minimum temperature below which farm operations will cease.
Once all input parameters are identified, the model calculates costs per ton
of biomass, energy input and emissions (CO2) from equipment.
SPICOSA (Science
and Policy Integration for Coastal Assessment)
 Four
year project (to be completed in January of 2011) set up by the
European Union. 54 partner institutes in
21 countries are
using ExtendSim to study 18 coastal sites in
the EU project SPICOSA. This project will assist Europe in its
goal of achieving Sustainable Development by developing and testing a conceptual
methodological framework for transition in coastal zones. The SPICOSA initiative
originates from the fact that coastal systems are under increasing human pressure
and policy has not been able to respond properly to the resulting negative impacts
on ecological, social and economic systems. SPICOSA´s
overall aim is to develop a self-evolving, holistic research approach
and support tools for the assessment of policy options for sustainable
management through a balanced consideration of the ecological,
social and economic aspects of Coastal Zone Systems (Integrated
Coastal Zone Management).
All 18 study sites of SPICOSA are now well underway with the design
of their ExtendSIM® models to describe a variety of coastal
processes ranging from eutrophication, fisheries, and beach attractiveness
to clam culture. A generic model library is a complete set of reusable
model components which can be used to (re)build coastal models
for new study areas, not much unlike the well-known Lego bricks.
The population of such a model library is one of the key challenges
of the project and serves several purposes:
 |
existing models are easier to expand or maintain |
|
new models are easier to build |
|
quick exchange of models within the scientific community |
|
avoidance of unnecessary modelling (not “reinventing
the wheel”) |
The principles of generic modelling have been elaborated during
the SPICOSA Cluster Workshops.
For more information about ExtendSim use in SPICOSA projects, read the series
of newsletters
on the SPICOSA site.
Indiana
University Medical Group
 Working
closely with the nine-physician outpatient clinic staff at the
Indiana University Medical Group
at Grassy Creek, the MBA class at Purdue
University mapped clinic patient and physician flow. By identifying
bottlenecks and flow improvement factors, the recommendations they
made helped the clinic serve 37 percent more patients
on a given day.
Baosteel
Technology Center/Automation Institute
Baosteel, the largest iron and steel company in China and a global 500 company,
used Extend in a melt iron transportation logistics analysis project. This was
the first discrete event simulation project Baosteel built with an off-the-shelf
commercial tool. Edgestone
Information Technologies Co., Ltd. teamed with the Baosteel Technology Center
to lead the project in modeling and analytical experiments producing meaningful
results in their capacity expansion evaluation project. Baosteel is pleased with
the scalability of Extend and the results of this project.
Kelley’s
Logistics Support Systems (KLSS) under contracts from The
Boeing Company has developed
a number of simulations utilizing ExtendSim.
Depot Process
Model
The Depot Process Model was
developed to allow simulation of a wide variety of maintenance
depot setups and configurations, starting from the same generic
model. The model processes and logically controls the movement
of vehicles through a depot according to variable task requirements
and the availability of resources (personnel, support equipment,
parts, and physical space). As data from an actual depot
operation is applied to the model, it will assist with the identification
of process improvement opportunities which will improve vehicle
throughput capacity and platform (tank, aircraft, etc.) availability.
Net-Centric Logistics Land Platform
In addition to the Depot Process
Model, KLSS developed
the net-centric logistics (NCL) land platform model using ExtendSim.
This simulation of the logistics of an U.S. Army’s battlefield includes all
of the platforms, personnel, logistics, and supplies needed to
support a heavy armor company. The model specifically includes
spare vehicle parts as well as commodities (food, fuel, water,
ammunition). It enables the customer to determine the benefits
and explore the implementation of NCL concepts during a wartime
deployment. The model also allows for the identification of potential
logistics bottlenecks and the measurement of a unit’s platform
availability and resource consumption.
Both models utilize the functions of ExtendSim’s embedded
database extensively and its capability to interact with Microsoft
Excel for model inputs and outputs.
Hormel Foods Corporation
 Over-utilized inventory locations at one of its grocery products
facilities was causing problems with Hormel Foods product flow.
Product mix and number of supply items had grown creating an imbalance
in storage locations for the inventory. Inputing data from a sampling
of time, they used Extend to model the
different systems that were supplying and demanding material from
bay locations at various rates, quantities, and shifts of operation.
Hormel was able to determine the best alternative solution while
verifying adequate inventory turns, minimizing equipment and material
handling costs, and meeting capacity requirements.
Focused_On Health Limited
"We did a very
detailed appraisal of the available products and decided to use
Extend. Our
reasons for
this choice were based on the extensive range of general purpose "blocks" available,
the sophisticated structure of the internal TimeSet
(enabling models of many thousand blocks to be efficiently handled)
and
the ease with which the general purpose blocks could be moulded
to meet
specific Health provision needs. A number of years of experience
confirms that this was a good decision as the product is advancing
and the support can only be described as excellent." excerpt
from the Focused_On
Health web site.
Emergency
Assessment Facility
Focused_On
Health built a feasibility model in Extend for North Hampshire
Hospitals new Emergency Assessment Centre. The model evaluated
staffing requirements, beds, number of cubicles, overall size of
the facilities, and future growth. Surveyors and engineers used
model results to plan the facility.
Intensive
Care Unit - Demand and Capacity Planning
 Working
with a CCU OutReach Nurse, Focused_On Health built an Extend model
showing main PatientFlow pathways in a care unit (Definite MI,
Suspected MI, LVF, and Arrhythmia). The FlowModel was built to
investigate the impact of bed blockages in the Medical Ward on
the ability of the unit to deliver its specialized care.
Modeling Perioperative Systems in a Hospital
 Utilizing data from a study containing a large dataset (90,000+
records of 30,000+ patients) culled from hospital patient logs
and electronic data collection systems, Extend was used to evaluate
alternate process flows, policies, staffing, and resource
allocation, for the cases flowing through a renovated space.
This level of fidelity increased team buy-in and increased certainty
that savings estimates would be real, providing an accurate understanding
of resource allocation as it relates to revenue. The effort’s
positive outcome showed the importance of involving nursing staff
and facility administration with the healthcare planning, architecture,
and simulation modeling team. The result is improved patient care
and patient flow with better use of personnel and other resources.
U.S. Air Force Process Modeling for Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance (ISR)
Since 1998, the SRA Adroit C4ISR Center has provided analytical
support to the U.S. Air Force to guide policy and investment decisions
for its Imagery Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination System
(PEDS) and the Distributed Common Ground System (AF DCGS). SRA
developed the modeling and analysis methodology using EXTEND.
 IBM Global Services Australia - Olympic Program
Sydney 2000 Olympics print distribution was modeled in Extend to
determine
delivery times, resource requirements, duty rosters, and capacity
to meet Service
Level Agreements.
 Stennis
Space Center
Lockheed Martin has created an Extend model that estimates the cost of testing
rocket engines.
Westinghouse
Savannah River Technology Center
 The Savannah River Site (SRS) deals with dispositioning a
substantial quantity of the nation’s plutonium. An effort
was initiated over a decade ago to model plutonium processing
and storage to present to Congress and the Defense Nuclear Facility
Safety Board an optimum option for plutonium management in the
Nuclear Weapons Complex.
Along with efforts to develop information using spreadsheets,
a plutonium disposition and storage model was developed using Extend.
Extend was chosen for this task because its hierarchical nature
allowed development of a modular model which was easy to explain
and understand. The power of the
discrete event modeling approach was observed when adding shipping and process
schedule logic, determining bottlenecks in the process, and making rapid changes
to the model to assess the impact of different decisions.
 DTE Energy
Andy Mather, currently with The Epitec Group, learned to
use Extend and
built a huge model for DTE that
covered field, shop, office, and supply chain functions relating
to electric
metering equipment in just 6 short weeks. Management was wowed
by the animation level of the
Extend model during demonstrations. But the results were more impressive.
With this model, DTE was able to predict the effects of potential
regulations, weather, labor rules, and staffing levels. The model
accurately predicted the type, number, and severity of problems
that
resulted a year later!
Landmark Healthcare Study
National contract with two major healthcare organizations using
RFID to track nurses at 38 hospitals across the country. The
goal of the study is to analyze and find ways to improve nurses'
time with patients at the bedside on medical and surgical floors.
The principal investigator plans to demonstrate, through simulation
modeling of existing data if the nursing care process and/or
the physical space can be improved.
This project is being carried out by a consortium of experts in
the medical modeling field from Purdue (conducting data analysis),
a team of simulation engineers from industry, and architectural
experts. This project is still in progress. Full details will be
disclosed as they become available.
International
Paper Manufacturer
Saves $100 million annually by improving the effectiveness of capital
investments.
Semiconductor Company
Accurately simulated complex recipes and flows, allowing management
to explore operating strategies. Optimized productivity resulting
in a 32% reduction in cycle time.
Aerospace
Used at numerous aerospace companies like TRW on programs modeling
satellites and mission data processing. One particular model
simulates more than 3 terabytes of weather sensor data collected
by satellites, transmitted to ground stations, and processed
into science products.
Academia
Integrated in courses at the undergraduate, MBA, and executive
MBA levels by prestigious universities such as Stanford and Harvard.
Fortune 100 Consumer Products Company
Saved $1 billion across operations by improving manufacturing reliability.
Allowed company to introduce technology at a faster pace.
Oil Company
Validated the process design for a $5.7 billion capital project.
Public Health
Models hospital and emergency medical services throughout a major
USA county.
Humanitarian Agency
Analyzes staffing levels at a refugee camp in Croatia.
Major Beverage Retailer
Simulates demand and optimizes staffing at retail locations worldwide.
 Wagner SprayTech
Manages their ever-growing supply chain with an Extend model showing
stores, distribution centers, and assembly line constraints and
delays of their consumer and professional paint application tools.
Automotive Equipment
Optimizes the design of suspension systems by comparing the model’s
simulated results to real-time data transmitted by sensors on automobiles.
High Speed Processing
A popular cookie producer
models their packaging line to understand the dynamics and capacity
of their system. Their model shows the effect of changing the speed
of a piece of equipment, the failure and repair rates for that
piece of equipment, the size of in-line storage, and the mixing
of different products.
Legal System
Simulated arrest and arraignment procedures for a major US city’s
criminal justice system, resulting in more efficient processing.
Major Medical Equipment Producer
Laboratory automation equipment models allow sales forces to customize
equipment for customers, increasing the rate of sales successes.
Then, the customer can use these same models to replicate their
operations and explore opportunities to improve testing processes
in lab analysis.
Airport Security Agency
Evaluated the effects on passenger flow of new airport security
checkpoint equipment and procedures.
Pulp and Paper Mill
A New Zealand mill models their integrated pulp mill, recycle facility,
and sack kraft machine to determine the optimum mix of products
and grades for specific economic conditions. This mill now boasts
bleached softwood kraft production costs in the bottom quartile
worldwide.
Information Provider
Determined how to be responsive to its Call Center customers
while managing costs.
Defense Agency
Simulated fleets of cargo aircraft in a major war scenario and minimized risk
to aircraft and personnel.
Pipelines
Reengineered the DOE Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Reduced expenses,
decreased need-fulfillment time, and improved the storage and
dissemination of information.
Defense Training
A consultant for a large defense contractor modeled a
training continuum, results of which were one of the important
inputs into convincing a customer
that changing the training would result in increased throughput,
performance and efficiencies. This lead to the customer agreeing
to a
changed training continuum resulting in a significant scope increase
for
the consulting agency.
ExtendSim model aided a defense agency to
identify choke points accurately and take corrective actions. This
work
helped increase creditability in aircrew training.
|
Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, and emerging growth
businesses have been using ExtendSim (formerly known as Extend)
to improve productivity. ExtendSim has helped those organizations identify
the alternative solutions that will lead to tomorrow’s successes. ExtendSim
can minimize risk and help you realize your goals. That’s how it has
become a leader in the industry... backed by years of proven results
and tens of thousands of customers like these... 
