Customizing Dashboards

Posted by Ryan Roper

GoldSim dashboards offer a way of putting an ‘interface’ on your GoldSim model that allows you or a colleague or client to change inputs or settings and to view model results. Creating good dashboards may have as much to do with making them nice-looking and easy to use as it has to do with mere functionality (i.e. providing access to appropriate inputs and results). The focus of this post is mainly about appearance and usability of dashboards. I’ll offer some ideas based on experiences I had while working on a project with a group at Sandia National Laboratories.

Probability Distributions in GoldSim

Posted by Nick Martin

GoldSim uses probability distributions for model inputs and to present results. Different types of probability distributions can be used for inputs and results. Occasionally, GoldSim users have questions about the various types of probability distributions in GoldSim and about how distributions are calculated in GoldSim. In particular, questions often come up about how GoldSim calculates probability distributions for Monte Carlo simulation results. An algorithm is built into GoldSim which determines whether to represent, and calculate, a Monte Carlo simulation result with a discrete or continuous distribution. A Knowledge Base article was recently created which provides details of this algorithm and provides additional information about the categories of distributions used in GoldSim.

A History Lesson

Posted by Rick Kossik

For the inaugural post to the GoldSim Blog, I thought it would be fun to go back in time and provide a history lesson.  Where did GoldSim come from? Why was it developed? Who got the ball rolling? Who were the first users? For those of you interested in such ancient history, this post will describe the early history of GoldSim from its origins in the late 1980s to the formation of the GoldSim Technology Group (GTG) in 2004. 

Welcome to the GoldSim Blog!

Posted by Rick Kossik

This blog is provided as a resource to existing users of the GoldSim probabilistic simulation framework.  However, you don't need to be a GoldSim expert to follow this blog; it should also prove to be a valuable resource for novice GoldSim users.  (If you are completely new to GoldSim, this is not the place the start; instead, you should visit the GoldSim website).

This blog complements the resources available in the GoldSim Library (such as the Model Library and Knowledge Base) and User Forum, and may occasionally refer to articles or models referenced there.  It is intended to provide an informal mechanism for GoldSim staff to share their knowledge, point out some of the more advanced (and perhaps overlooked) GoldSim features, share and discuss common mistakes we see in GoldSim applications, discuss interesting applications, and keep you abreast of our plans for further GoldSim developments.  

If there are specific topics you would like to see discussed, let us know!