Using the Simulation GUI
The Simulation Control GUI exists as an individual component and allows users to control a running simulation and to query detailed properties of the simulated entities. The figure below shows a snapshot of a simulation control GUI built using the DIVAs-GUI component. This snapshot shows: 1) the simulation query interface; 2) a detailed information about a query result; 3) the simulation control panel; and 4) the simulation state statistics and control information.
Users can submit queries about agents (e.g., find agent #131) or environment objects (e.g., find commercial buildings) through the Simulation Query Interface. Clicking on any of the displayed query rows will display a detailed information about the simulated entity.
Checking the “Auto Refresh” will cause the displayed query results to be periodically updated.
In addition, users can use the Simulation Control Interface to control the simulation (e.g., start/stop, pause, save, load) and make runtime configuration changes. For instance, pressing the “Options” button will display the simulation configuration winow as shown in the below figure.
The user can also select among a variety of self-organizing environment models to enhance the performance and the scalability of the simulation. Detailed information about the self-organizing environment can be found here.
The simulation GUI allows the user to save the simulation specification on a file for future use. To save your environment specification, go to “File” > “Save environment” and choose the file name and location. At any point in time, you can load your environment specification by going to “File” > “Load environment” and choosing the environment specification file you wish to load.
Loading an environment specification from a file will terminate the current simulation and start a new one. Press “Yes” on the displayed dialog to confirm your choice.
DIVAs comes with a set of predefined environment environment specifications. For instance, you can choose “Mavsville” to load the virtual city environment shown in our demos.
In addition to saving environment specification, DIVAs allow the users to save a snapshot of a running simulation. This provides the users with the option to resume the simulation execution in the future withour having to run the simulation from the beggining. To save an environment snapshot, go to “File” > “Save Simulation” and choose the file name and location.
