Insight Maker: Accelerating innovation and bigger thinking using open source simulation

Kishau Rogers offers an overview of the real-world applications for using open source simulation tools to visualize, design, and understand complex systems and presents three cases using simulation modeling tools such as Insight Maker for scaling complex business operations, developing adaptive and intelligent applications, and evaluating the broader impact of service expansion.

Simulation models are great tools for performing experiments and for employing systems-thinking principles to visualize and gain a deeper insight of how one area of a system impacts its other parts. Simulation and modeling tools are especially effective for understanding the root causes of a problem and for aligning stakeholders toward a consensus for action. Insight Maker, an accessible free and open source simulation and modeling tool, offers a web-based multiuser environment for developing, analyzing, and sharing system insights and provides a graphical interface and includes systems dynamics modeling, agent-based modeling, and advanced features such as model optimization and scripting via its JavaScript API. Designed to be accessible to a broad audience of users, Insight Maker has been in development for many years and has been adopted by well over 20,000 registered users. Kishau Rogers offers an in-depth review of how open source interactive simulation tools are being used to promote rapid learning, understand the structure and dynamics of complex systems, and solve problems. Using Insight Maker, Kishau highlights real-world simulation projects and their use of qualitative and quantitative data combined with systems thinking principles to model complex systems in industries such as health, technology, and business—scaling complex business operations, developing adaptive and intelligent applications, and evaluating the broader impact of service expansion. Topics include: