Enhanced Analysis Module

What is it?

The FLAMES Enhanced Analysis module provides additional capabilities to FLAMES-based simulations developed to support system design and analysis. These capabilities are useful primarily when FLAMES scenarios are executed in non-interactive (batch) mode and when the same or similar scenarios need to be executed repeatedly to perform parametric trade studies or Monte-Carlo analysis.

What is included?

The Enhanced Analysis module includes support for:

• Scenario Variables, which can be used to specify almost any scenario input value. The values of these variables are defined as a function of a design case number which is specified when the scenario is executed. The values also can be specified in an external file to support interoperability with third-party design of experiment tools, such as Phoenix Integration's PHX ModelCenter® .

• Multiple Execution, which allows the same scenario to be executed multiple times by a single execution of FIRE. The design case number and random number seed can be specified for each execution of the scenario.

How does it work?

Using the Enhanced Analysis module, you can perform complex parametric trade studies or Monte-Carlo analysis with little effort by following a procedure similar to the following:

1. Define your baseline scenario using FORGE.

2. Choose the scenario inputs that you would like to vary to support your analysis. Depending on how you have defined your scenario, you can vary almost any aspect of the scenario you can imagine, from simple parameter values, such as the range of sensors or the altitude of aircraft, to complex aspects of the scenario, such as the types of systems being used or the tactics to be employed.

3. Using FORGE, define scenario variables to represent the inputs that you would like to vary. Alter the definition of your scenario to use your scenario variables in the place of constant values.

4. Decide how many design cases you would like to consider. For each design case, specify the value for each scenario variable.

5. Define your scenario execution settings to enable multiple execution and decide how many times you would like to execute the scenario. For each execution, choose the design case to be considered and the random number seed to be used.

6. Specify your data recording settings such that output from all the executions of your scenario will be written to a single set of output files (rather than to a separate set of output files for each execution). This will dramatically reduce the number of output files and make it much easier to analyze your results.

7. While still using FORGE, save all of your analysis inputs, including your scenario variables and your scenario execution settings, as a part of your scenario.

8. Execute your scenario using FIRE. A single execution of FIRE will automatically execute the scenario as many times as you have specified.

9. Analyze the results of all your scenario executions simultaneously using FLARE.