The Client

Nottingham University, School of Computer Science

The Challenge

Nottingham University's School of Computer Science aims to build its reputation for, and create more opportunities to apply, Agent-Based Modelling and Simulation research across sectors including retail, healthcare and logistics.

The University uses AnyLogic as one of its principle modelling tools which, despite its advantages, including multi-paradigm modelling and simulation, is a technical tool so model development can be slow for inexpert users.

Each research team, comprising professors, post doctorate research fellows and researchers (mainly PhD students), has a different focus and frequent changes to the teams mean that researchers may have varying levels of modelling competency.

In order to achieve its goal, the School of Computer Science needed to improve its model framing skills and reduce delays resulting from researchers encountering technical difficulties.

dseConsulting was contracted to develop an AnyLogic user support programme to increase researchers' familiarity with the software, reinforce this learning over time and support model development in the long term.

DseConsulting Solution

dseConsulting designed a bespoke training course to ensure that all researchers reached a basic understanding of modelling questions and achieved a minimum level of competency in AnyLogic. The training encompassed streamed practical sessions to ensure that the more able AnyLogic users would be challenged and continue to develop their expertise.

To reinforce this learning over time and support model development, dseConsulting also provides a regular modelling clinic on site.

The first half of each day-long clinic comprises a training session focusing on a specific subject identified, in response to questions raised, to be most useful by dseConsulting in collaboration with the Research Team .

For the remainder of each clinic, individual members of the research team take the opportunity to bring their models to dseConsulting for review, debugging and verification of code accuracy, and to ask questions about model design and specific technical modelling approach queries.

Additionally, throughout the month, researchers can also contact dseConsulting, for adhoc support and to ask less in-depth questions, to maintain project momentum.

The Business Benefit

The core objectives of improving modelling skills and reducing delays have been achieved. All models have progressed beyond expectations and students are now tackling far more complex modelling questions.

Feedback was good and the training was well received across the board. New starters were able to work effectively and unsupervised by the end of the course and all researchers believed it had added to their knowledge.

"We now produce better models at a faster rate. Our researchers feel more confident to tackle challenging simulation topics and they also benefit from the opinion of an expert practitioner when framing modelling questions and designing models."
Professor Uwe Aickelin
Nottingham University School of Computer Science

Nottingham University School of Computer Science has renewed its contract with dseConsulting for a further programme of ongoing regular training and clinics.