STROBOSCOPE
Advanced
Programmable Simulation System
for Construction Operations Modeling
STROBOSCOPE is a simulation programming language and system for modeling complex
processes in a variety of areas ranging from construction, to manufacturing, to
hospital operations. It was developed as part of the Ph.D. dissertation
research of Julio C. Martinez in the Construction Engineering and Management
program at the University of Michigan under the direction of Professor Photios
G. Ioannou. Its development was partly supported by the National Science
Foundation (Grant CMS-9415105).
The name STROBOSCOPE, an acronym for STate- and ResOurce-Based Simulation of
COnstruction ProcEsses, reflects the system's major design objective: the
ability to make complex dynamic decisions (and thus control the simulation at
run-time) based on the simulation system state and the characteristics,
attributes, and state of resources. Unlike other simulation systems,
STROBOSCOPE is based on three-phase activity scanning and not process
interaction. The activity scanning simulation paradigm makes
STROBOSCOPE better suited for modeling complex resource interactions such as
those that characterize cyclic operations where no distinction is made between
resources that serve (servers or scarce resources) and those served (customers
or moving entities). STROBOSCOPE simulation models use an easy-to-learn
graphical network-based representation similar to activity cycle diagrams.
A detailed description of STROBOSCOPE can be found in J.C. Martinez's Ph.D.
thesis, which along with several simulation examples is included in the basic STROBOSCOPE
package. Additional detailed examples can be found in the publications available
for downloading from this web site.
