Prediction of a Naval Vessel's Performance

Norden Division was faced with the task of simulating the shipboard behavior of a large suit of electronics operating under a variety of servicing conditions and supported by specified line and shop servicing facilities and personnel. As with most problems that require simulation, it consisted of large amounts of dynamic data and the complex interrelated constraints of the real world. It soon became apparent that the magnitude of data was such that the core requirements of even the largest computers could easily be exceeded. The response chosen was to unbound the GPSS/360 language to permit virtually unlimited data and model sizes. In unbounding, matrix savevalues and blocks are divided into sections stored on disk until required. Then each load section is called in as an overlay. Moreover, matrix savevalues can be permanently stored on disk. As such they are accessible to other models, thus permitting the establishment of data libraries within General Purpose Simulation System (GPSS).