The Wizarding World of #Modeling and #Simulation

As Healthcare Simulation Week comes to an end, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this week's article to the wizarding and magical world of simulation. I hope that others find this topic as interesting as I do and see the strong correlation between the world of the mystical and the world of modeling and simulation.

What is Modeling and Simulation?

According to WhatIs.com, Modeling & Simulation (M&S) can be defined as:

"The use of?a physical or logical representation?of a?given system to generate data and help determine decisions?or make?predictions?about the system."

We tend to further classify the physical and logical into Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC).

• Live - This often refers to live role-playing exercises in which actors and learners play specific roles to simulate a real-life event. Live exercises can be augmented with props, scenery, special effects, #augmentedreality, and #tasktrainers.
• Virtual - This can be a physical representation of a real-life object or a real-life object represented in a digital environment like in the #metaverse, in a #seriousgame, #virtualreality, or #screenbasedsimulation. Often the virtual version of a person or device acts like it would in real life.
• Constructive - This often refers to mathematical models and algorithms that behave like #digitaltwins to objects in the real life and can be used for #predictiveanalysis and #decisionsupport. Often these models are based on collection of real data and behaviors. Constructive simulation may drive force movement, physiology models, physics models, etc.

Although most technology solutions can be classified as mentioned above, we often see more of a hybrid approach where a Live exercise may be complemented by virtual and constructive technologies for a fully-immersive experience.

Modeling & Simulation is Cool

In what other industries do you constantly work on #cuttingedge technologies and innovative trends like #digitaltwins, #virtualreality, #augmentedreality, #artificialintelligence, #naturallanguageprocessing, #machinelearning, #patientsimulators, #haptics, #gaming, #holograms, #adaptivelearning, and immersive CAVEs, and WAVES? I picked the title of today's article carefully because I believe that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios is an excellent example of how all these technologies come together to trick you into believing your experience is real.

Modeling & Simulation is more prevalent than you may think

Probably the three most popular industries using Modeling & Simulation would be Aerospace, Defense and Healthcare (AKA, #medicalsimulation). These were the three operating divisions of my previous company, CAE . Trade Shows, Conferences, and Organizations like #IITSEC, #MODSIM, #NTSA, and #IMSH tend to focus almost solely on healthcare, aviation, and defense. What many do not realize is that Modeling & Simulation is around us in everything we do from planning highway construction to theme park design to energy optimization. Every year, the Florida Simulation Summit in Orlando, FL, tries to highlight some of these other industries which are less known for their adaptation of Modeling and Simulation like sports, energy, tourism, etc.. In essence, most highly reliable organizations need simulation in order to practice, rehearse, and fail safely in a simulated environment to reduce real-life errors and near misses.

How is M&S used?

Training/Education

The most traditional use of Modeling and Simulation is for training or educational purposes. By using M&S vs. more traditional didactic learning, a learner can be more immersed in the exercise and build not only their cognitive skills but also muscle memory with better recall and improved retention. M&S not only offers more realism, but can also do a better job of objective measurement and assessment given many simulators have sensors, record every action taken, and are often associated with an after-action review system with audio, video, and instructor annotations. Training takes many forms and may include rehearsal, capstone exercise, formative assessment, summative assessment, practice, etc.

After-Action Review

Simulation can also be used to perform what-if analysis of a situation post-mortem. It gives an opportunity to start at the same point but exercise different paths and decisions to determine if there could have been a better outcome. This helps everyone improve performance the next time.

Decision-Support and Predictive Analysis

Sometimes M&S can be used to support decisions when faced with multiple possibilities. This could be used to evaluate options during a mass evacuation in a storm, prior to a risky surgery, or before starting construction on a busy highway. When multiple options exist and historical data exists, you can model various options to determine the best possible outcome.

Sometimes M&S can be used to predict a specific outcome, like prior to starting a clinical trial, to help evaluate "in-silico" which is not only safer than using human or animal subjects, but also much faster.

Used as a test harness

M&S can also be used to simulate inputs and interfaces to real equipment. As an example, using a real medical device on a simulated patient can help test the equipment prior to using it on a patient. The same can be true with self-driving cars using the self-driving algorithm in a simulated vehicle.

Give me some examples

In the world of M&S, we often refer to low, mid, or high fidelity simulation. The true simulation experts would argue that it's the simulation that can be low, mid, or high, though often product companies like to classify their simulators in one of these categories in order to justify the cost-benefit of more expensive simulators. For purposes of this article, since I am not trying to publish in a trade journal, I am going to give a couple examples of each. For simplicity stake, the more expensive the solution, we hope the higher the fidelity.

1. High Fidelity - Patient Manikins/Dummies/Puppets/Simulators, Mechanical Birthing Simulators, Full Flight Simulators, Surgical Simulators with Haptics, Immersive Simulations, Tank Simulators, Weapon Simulators, Surgical Cut Suits, Mathematical Evidenced-Based Physiology Model, Mixed Reality, etc.
2. Mid Fidelity - First Responder/Point of Injury Patient Simulators, Non-mechanical birthing simulators, Virtual Surgical Simulators without haptics, Flight or Vehicle Simulators without motion, Virtual Reality, Serious Game, etc.
3. Low Fidelity - Deadweight manikins, Part Task Trainers, Posters, Moulage Kits, Surgical Box Trainers, etc.

The Epicenter(s) of Simulation

1. Florida - One the largest epicenters of simulation has to be Florida, specifically Orlando, Tampa, and Sarasota. Orlando is home to the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI); U.S. Army's Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC); Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) ; U.S. Air Force Agency for Modeling & Simulation (AFAMS) ; the National Center For Simulation (NCS) ; the Defense Health Agency Program Office for Medical Simulation; the annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC); as well as a host of simulation companies located in Research Park near University of Central Florida and the Partnership Buildings. Tampa, FL has been home to CAE USA who has been servicing the Aerospace and Defense Market for over 6 decades whereas Sarasota, FL, is home to several medical simulation companies including Operative Experience, Inc. , Elevate Healthcare , SynDaver , IVIR Inc. , etc.
2. Alabama - In the past decade, we have seen tremendous growth in Alabama in places like Huntsville, Dothan, and Anniston. The Alabama Modeling & Simulation Council highlights some of the recent initiatives in Alabama including hosting their own ALASIM Modeling and Simulation Conference. Probably the most notable simulation centers in Alabama would be the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston or the newest Wiregrass Public Safety Simulation Center in Dothan, Alabama, not far from the CAE Dothan Alabama Live Flight Training Center serving the U.S. Army. Many of the Orlando Simulation companies have opened local offices in Huntsville to work with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Missile Defense Agency, Army Space and Rocket Command, Army Contracting Command, and Army Test Helicopter Command.
3. Virginia - The Virginia Modeling and Simulation Community was created initially to support the Joint Training, Analysis and Simulation Center as a part of the United States Atlantic Command (USACOM), which became the US?Joint Forces Command?(USJFCOM) in Suffolk, Virginia. It's home to the ODU Virginia Modeling, Analysis, & Simulation Center (VMASC) as well as the annual MODSIM World conference. Like Florida and Huntsville, it is home to many M&S companies primarily in the Norfolk area.

How do I learn more about Modeling & Simulation

There are plenty of ways to brush up on M&S terminology and become more aware of what's happening in the industry including joining organizations like National Center For Simulation (NCS) , National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA), Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH), or other specialty association. You can also attend conferences like I/ITSEC, MODSIM World, and IMSH. There are several groups on LinkedIn you can find by searching for simulation. You can also follow hashtags like #simulation, #modelingandsimulation, #medicalsimulation, #simcenter , etc. There are also a number of podcasts out there. I personally like to subscribe to Team Orlando News which does an excellent job of communicating news and events in the Orlando M&S Industry.

If you are interested in taking it to the next level, several universities offer advanced degrees in simulation and several societies offer certification programs. The most notable are probably SSIH's Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator? (CHSE?)?and Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist? (CHSOS?) certifications. NTSA?manages the?Certified?Modeling & Simulation Professional (CMSP)?certification?program which is also becoming very popular.

Of course, you could always follow me on LinkedIn where I share, re-post, and author posts on modeling, simulation, and training.

The noble cause

I have always enjoyed working in the simulation community because it serves a noble cause. Whether the desired outcome is readiness, resilience, skills mastery, knowledge retention, or competency measurement, M&S can help save lives, make it safer to perform mission-critical activities, keep skills and knowledge fresh and current, and provide a safe platform to learn and train. I'll say that again - simulation saves lives!

Until Next Time

I have enjoyed the opportunity to share with you about one of my passions. I hope you take the time to visit some of the sites I mention in my article to get the full experience. If you enjoyed this article, I invite you to check out my profile to see some of my other articles and posts. If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment option so that others can learn from your questions. Feel free to share this article with your network and I always appreciate a like so I know I am focusing on the right topic areas. Tune in next week for my next article.

About the Author

Brian Levine, MBA, PMP, CSM is an innovative and accomplished Business and Technology Leader with extensive experience and global perspective in commercial and government contracting and acquisition in simulation, training and gaming with a focus on medical simulation and public safety. He holds three degrees from Stetson University – a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, and a Master’s in Business Administration.

Mr. Levine has been a contributing member and leader in the local simulation community for the past 15 years while working at SAIC , Presagis , CAE , and Elevate Healthcare . Although he has had a prominent focus on medical simulation with the goal of improving healthcare and patient safety, Mr. Levine has a broader simulation experience in Land, Air, and Sea.

As a contributing member and leader in the simulation community, Mr. Levine has served a variety of leadership roles in such events and initiatives as the NTSA MS&T Congressional Caucus Committee on Patient Safety, Florida Simulation Summit, I/ITSEC Healthcare Track Planning Committee, Co-chair of the MODSIM Healthcare Track, Co-Founder of the Florida Alliance for Simulation in Healthcare, and speaker at such conferences as the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, I/ITSEC, MODSIM, Florida Simulation Summit, and TSIS.

Mr. Levine has recently joined DLH Corporation as a Director of Business Development in Modeling, Simulation, and Training. He will be helping lead the organization as DLH establishes greater presence in the Modeling, Simulation, and Training community and a greater local presence in Orlando.