Many numerical simulations applications continue to require large computing budgets to allow their use in state-of-the-art parameter regimes. We report on a number of optimisation techniques that are especially applicable to spatial simulations. We employ trade-off techniques based on the use of high-memory and especially 64-bit addressable memory to boost the performance of simulations that need extensive geometric maths function evaluations. We also describe data structures and indirect addressing techniques to improve spatially-oriented simulation algorithms. We present performance data and a discussion and analysis on these techniques which we believe generalise to many spatially-based scientific simulations codes. We illustrate these methods in the context of simulations for: diffusion; cluster-cluster aggregation; Monte-Carlo annealing; and artificial-life models.
Keywords: spatial simulation; maths functions; performance optimisation; data structures; high-memory usage.
Full Document Text: PDF version.
Citation Information: in Proc. Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Methods (MSV'06) Las Vegas, June 26-29 2006.
BiBTeX reference:
@inproceedings{CSTN-026,
address="Las Vegas, Nevada, USA",
title="High-Performance Spatial Simulations and Optimisations on 64-Bit Architectures",
author="K. A. Hawick, H.A.James and C.J.Scogings",
booktitle="The 2006 International Conference on Modeling, Simulation & Visualization Methods",
editor="H.R.Arabnia",
year="2006",
pages="CD",
month="June",
note="CSREA Press, ISBN 1-932415-99-8",
series="CSTN-026"
}
\bibitem{CSTN-026}
High-Performance Spatial Simulations and Optimisations on 64-Bit Architectures,
K. A. Hawick, H.A.James and C.J.Scogings,
Edited by H.R.Arabnia, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 26-29 June 2006, CSREA Press, ISBN 1-932415-99-8,
and Technical Note CSTN-026.