Specification and description language models automatic execution in a high-performance environment

Abstract

Specification and Description Language (SDL) is a language that can represent the behavior and structure of a model completely and unambiguously. It allows the creation of frameworks that can run a model without the need to code it in a specific programming language. This automatic process simplifies the key phases of model building: validation and verification. SDLPS is a simulator that enables the definition and execution of models using SDL. In this paper, we present a new library that enables the execution of SDL models defined on SDLPS infrastructure on a HPC platform, such as a supercomputer, thus significantly speeding up simulation runtime. Moreover, we apply the SDL language to a social science use case, thus opening a new avenue for facilitating the use of HPC power to new groups of users. The tools presented here have the potential to increase the robustness of modeling software by improving the documentation, verification, and validation of the models.