User Driven Modelling - Applications

This visual modelling is similar to collaborative spreadsheet modelling, but for these research models the visualisation and the code structure are exactly the same. This means users effectively can see an audit trail at all times in the modelling, and that the gap between those that program/model, and users is reduced. This makes both computing automated translation, and human collaboration/domain translation easier. This research is mainly aimed at users whose models/programs are too complex for spreadsheets. This means that themselves and other modellers/users lose track of information. These modellers/users often do not have the time and/or facilities for the programming tasks they need.

Automated translation and visualisation of models is essential as if they are manually copied by humans, there are almost certain to be errors in the copying of any large model to a different system. For such models an error anywhere in the model makes the result wrong. Visualising over collaborative networks, and of the whole structure also allows those responsible for checking and maintenance of each individual part of it to spot any mistakes, so this again acts as an effective audit trail.

Demonstration interactive models are shown at - http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~phale/EconomicModels/ModelsVisualised.htm.