Lesson 3 - What is GoldSim?

GoldSim is a highly-graphical and completely object-oriented program for carrying out probabilistic, dynamic simulations of complex systems. It is essentially a high-level programming language for building simulation models (but does not require you to be a computer programmer).

You create, document, and present models by creating and manipulating graphical objects representing the components of your system, data and relationships between the data:

This simple model above has five objects: Capacity, Inflow, Pond, Leakage and Storm. Each of these objects represents a feature (a pond), a parameter or property (the capacity of the pond), a process (inflow rate and leakage from the pond), or an event (a storm). The objects representing features, parameters, processes, and events are called elements.

In a sense, GoldSim is like a "visual spreadsheet" allowing you to visually create and manipulate data and equations. As can be seen above, based on how the various objects in your model are related, GoldSim automatically indicates their influences and interdependencies by visually connecting them in an appropriate manner. GoldSim also sets up and solves the equations represented by the objects and their interdependencies.