Simulations
Dakine Wave was founded by people with a background of developing computer simulations in both academia and commerce.
That background, enriched by the company's acquired expertise in interactive graphics, means that Dakine Wave is able to offer its customers highly sophisticated computer simulations that can be targeted at a wide range of different application areas.
Simulations used for Training
Simulations, because of the interactivity that they offer, promote a far greater understanding than more traditional methods of teaching. A student or trainee is able to fully explore a virtual environment or a modelled piece of equipment. Users can push the emulated apparatus to the limits of its operating range, and experience the consequences of doing so, without the risk of injury to themselves or others that may otherwise occur in the real world. Moreover, they can do so without the hazard of damaging expensive equipment or the cost of taking live production lines out of commission for periods of training. A simulator can provide people with experience of unusual events, thereby it can develop their decision making process for when they are faced with critical situations in real life.
 Since simulations give trainees and students a richer, more fulfilling experience, they can shorten training times, thus reducing overall costs significantly. Equally, because they lead to a deeper understanding of the working environment, they help to produce more efficient workers, better able to make decisions and to work more effectively. Moreover, since students and trainees can access computer based training themselves, it reduces the strain on teaching staff, thus freeing expensive resources. Consequently, many academic studies have concluded that simulations are an effective and inexpensive training mechanism.
Simulating People
There are several software houses that offer computer based training software that simulates equipment. However, very few have the capability to simulate humans. Since most working environments, particularly in the service industries, involve relationships between people, an enormous field is being neglected as far as online training goes.
 Dakine Wave, using the technology developed for its VirtualStage product, has the proven capability to create simulations that involve human beings and their relationships. This open up the possibilities for training providers to offer online material in customer relationship management, dealing with confrontation, working with children, and situations such as the emergency evacuations of buildings, ships etc. which depend heavily on people's reactions.
Simulations used for Testing Viability, Predicting Behaviour, Fault Finding & Diagnostics
Dakine Wave has software engineers who have previously worked on computer simulations used in a number of different areas. This includes, for example, a lead role on a highly sophisticated, state of the art model of the atmosphere. These models are used by universities and meteorological offices to study the impact of man's actions on the planet in terms of climate change and ozone depletion. The models have to be able to predict what may happen in the future as a result of different scenarios for the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere.
 Other simulations that our developers have been involved with include models of oil exploration, oil pipeline transmission, electrical circuit diagnostics and plastic injection moulding. These simulations have been used to find faults in real equipment, to test the viability of proposed processes and to determine optimum operating conditions.
Clearly, simulations can be used across a broad range of application areas. Dakine Wave does not and cannot have expertise in each of these spheres. However, we do have the modelling expertise and experience to work with experts in a particular field in order to build computer simulations that model the processes involved. Furthermore, we have the in-house graphics expertise to enable interaction from the user or to facilitate strong graphical visualizations of the results of simulated experiments.
Dakine Wave has the expertise to develop simulations, with and without user interactivity, that can be used in a wide variety of different application areas for purposes of training, diagnostics and process determination.
|
