| A simulation is a model of a real or hypothetical system or process that emulates the responses of the system or process to stimuli from the enclosing universe. A knowledge-based system (KBS) is comprised of a database that contains known facts and an inference engine used to generate more facts from the known facts.; Simulation is a valuable tool for analysis of complex systems as are KBSs. Simulation software is usually developed in an environment appropriate for simulation and KBS software is usually developed in an environment suited for KBS. When combined together KBS and simulation can produce a powerful tool to model and study complex systems that incorporate decision-making.; This dissertation discusses issues in interfacing a simulation system and a KBS, and presents a methodology to interface the two systems. The contribution of the research documented in this dissertation is a methodology that can be used to interface existing or new simulation and KBS software. Examples are presented to illustrate the use of the interface method including source code for the simulation, the interface, and the KBS. |
