Getting started

Introduction

BioBrowser, the Modgen Biography Browser is a stand-alone software product which supplements the Modgen language used for dynamic longitudinal microsimulation modeling.  BioBrowser allows the analyst to graph the microdata generated by the model.  Its purpose is to aid in uncovering possible algorithmic errors in the model, or to study some particularly interesting cases with respect to the specified Modgen model.

Microsimulation models written in the Modgen language generate synthetic lifetimes of individual actors.  Each actor is defined as a set of states which describe the characteristics of the actor.  For example, an actor could be a male individual whose attributes are described through the following states: age, sex, marital status, and health status.  The values of these states change as the actor progresses through his lifetime.  In our example, the individual’s age would change on each birthday while the marital status would change at the time point at which he/she was married, divorced, etc. 

BioBrowser is a tool which allows the analyst to graphically examine the characteristics and attributes of an actor over the course of his/her lifetime.  BioBrowser can graphically present one or many states for one or many simulated lifetimes.  In this way, BioBrowser complements the other reporting features inherent in Modgen which are designed to provide detailed cross-sectional information on a collection of actors at a given reference time or state.

The graphical representations produced by BioBrowser originate from a special database file which is the product of a Modgen model simulation run.  Once this file has been created there exists a variety of possible graphics which the analyst can create with BioBrowser.  The specifications of these graphics are controlled by the user through drop-down menus and options.  Therefore, an analyst with a limited knowledge of the Modgen modeling environment can create an impressive array of longitudinal graphics showing the characteristics of the actors at different points in time.  All of these graphical representations can be saved for editing at some future time and/or routed to a printer or clipboard.

Specifying the contents of the database file requires the analyst to have some knowledge of the Modgen simulation environment.  A section below describes the components of Modgen with which one must be familiar to successfully create a database file.  Further details can be found in the Modgen Developer’s Guide.

Contents of BioBrowser

The Modgen Biography Browser (BioBrowser) installation package consists of a sample database file demo(trk).mdb and a sample biography file demo.bbr.  These files are referred to extensively to provide worked examples of the browser.  The nature of these files is discussed in How to Use BioBrowser: The Basics.

System Requirements and User Feedback

BioBrowser has been tested on Windows XP and does not have substantial requirements for CPU, disk or memory.

Users with questions or problems with any aspect of this software are welcome to contact the development team at microsimulation@statcan.gc.ca.