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-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, 6214ef14bd960d7be5cd8a816a71dc52, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- As the filed of system dynamics matures, and the number of available tools increases, the problems related to incompatible model formats consume increasingly large portions of researchers, educators, and model users time. Manifestations of these problems are many: Researchers may be unable to communicate models because they are using different tool (or different versions of the same tool). Educators face problems distributing models because schools use different tools. Authors have problems including a model disk with their books, as readers use different tools. Similar problems have been experienced with other tools, like word processors and drawing programs. The kind of solutions that are used for transferring documents between word processors can be applied also to system dynamics models. One solution would be to implement a series of model conversion filters in each SD tool. (This corresponds to the way MS-Word may load and store files in WordStar, Word Perfect, Works, and Write format). Another solution would be to define a common standard file format for interchanging models. (This corresponds to formats like plain text and Rich Text Format for documents, and BMP, EPS, GIF, PCX, TIFF, and WMF for graphics.) The latter approach has several advantages. 1) Each software tool need only support one foreign file format, in addition to its native file format. 2) The software tools need no knowledge of each native file formats. The benefits of developing a model interchange file format are many; 1) Models may be stored in a common format (e.g., in libraries). 2) Models may be transferred in a common format (e-mail, diskettes included in text books, etc.). 3) Co-development of models. 4) Easier use of several tools by the same user.