THE USE OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS TO DETECT FAULTS DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIMULATION MODEL

The task of detecting faults in a program for which the descriptive formulae are tentative or experimental can present major difficulties. There are three classes of fault which are likely to be encountered - coding errors, hypothesised formulae which do not produce the intended result, and aberrant behaviour which the researcher does not explicitly exclude because he does not envisage its occurrence. Trying to detect an unknown number of unspecified errors in an experimental program by perusing tables of numbers is difficult and time consuming with no guarantee of success. For particular types of programs graphical techniques can provide a powerful nonspecific tool for detecting faults in coding and logic. The tasks of validation and verification are simplified and made more thorough. Where possible a number of graphical techniques should be employed to obtain as wide a perspective as possible of the program's operation. Graphical fault finding can be extremely unflattering to an established program as the technique tends to highlight problems that could have been affecting its operation for years, but once these problems have been identified they can be removed and the program made more reliable. The model described was constructed as an investigative tool to allow the effects of various changes to the travel environment to be assessed. (TRRL)

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: p. 149-154
  • Serial:
    • Issue Number: 83-1

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00382333
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: ARRB
  • ISBN: 0 85825 205 8
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 0
  • Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: Apr 30 1984 12:00AM