The GoldSim Simulation Environment

Lesson 2, page 2 of 12

The GoldSim simulation environment is highly-graphical and completely object-oriented. That is, you create, document, and present models by creating and manipulating graphical objects representing the components of your system A subunit of the world separated by a boundary from the rest of the world. The description of the system is comprised of the relations within the system as well as those characterizing the action of the outside world on the system., data and relationships between the data:

The simple model above has five objects: Capacity, Inflow, Pond, Leakage and Storm. Each of these objects represents a feature (a pond), a parameter or property (the capacity of the pond), a process (inflow rate and leakage from the pond), or an event (a storm). The objects representing features, parameters, processes, and events are called elements The basic building blocks with which a GoldSim model is constructed. Each element represents a feature, pararamer, process or event in the model..

In a sense, GoldSim is like a "visual spreadsheet" allowing you to visually create and manipulate data and equations. As can be seen above, based on how the various objects in your model are related, GoldSim automatically indicates their influences and interdependencies by visually connecting them in an appropriate manner. GoldSim then sets up and solves the equations represented by the objects and their interdependencies.