Introduction to special issue on dynamics of discrete event systems

An overview of discrete-event dynamic system (DEDSs) is given, explaining what they are and discussing their modeling. The types of models are outlined, and factors to be taken into account in modeling are examined. They are: the discontinuous nature of discrete events; the continuous nature of most performance measures; the importance of probabilistic formulation; the need for hierarchical analysis; the presence of dynamics; and the feasibility of the computational burden. It is stressed that DEDS research must include experiment as well as theory