CML-DEVS: A specification language for DEVS conceptual models

•A novel or new DEVS conceptual modeling language (CML-DEVS) is proposed.•CML-DEVS allows DEVS models to be described in the most abstract form independent of any platform or implementation.•CML-DEVS is based on formal methods of software engineering, using mathematical and logical concepts.•Models described with CML-DEVS can be automatically translated into input languages of any modeling and simulation tool.•The set of translation rules (from CML-DEVS to DEVS-Suite and PowerDEVS) is presented.

DEVS models are widely used in the research community, in the industry and even in military or defense departments. Therefore, several software tools exist for modeling and simulating these models. However, each of these tools has its specific input language and a DEVS model described within a particular framework cannot be simulated by a different one. Moreover, the practitioners willing to use one of these tools must have non-trivial programming skills or must ask to a programmer to translate their models into the language of the desired tool. In this paper, we present CML-DEVS, a language that allows the conceptual, abstract or mathematical representation of DEVS models, in terms of mathematical and logical expressions without involving programming issues. Models described with CML-DEVS can be automatically translated (i.e. compiled) into the input language of different modeling and simulation tools. We also present a set of rules to translate CML-DEVS models into models that can be simulated with well-known DEVS frameworks such as DEVS-Suite and PowerDEVS. These rules allow the implementation of a multi-target compiler.