vidigi
Transform simulation event logs into engaging and flexible animations.
vidigi is designed to work easily with Python packages like SimPy, Ciw and Streamlit. Use it to see the impact of changes to simulation parameters in real time, in healthcare simulations and beyond.
Install with a single command
pip install vidigior
conda install vidigiWhy did we develop vidigi?
Visual displays of the outputs of discrete event simulations in SimPy have often been highlighted as a limitation, especially when compared with commercial DES tools or GUI-based FOSS alternatives such as JaamSim.
“When compared to commercial DES software packages that are commonly used in health research, such as Simul8, or AnyLogic, a limitation of our approach is that we do not display a dynamic patient pathway or queuing network that updates as the model runs a single replication. This is termed Visual Interactive Simulation (VIS) and can help users understand where process problems and delays occur in a patient pathway; albeit with the caveat that single replications can be outliers. A potential FOSS solution compatible with a browser-based app could use a Python package that can represent a queuing network, such as NetworkX, and displaying results via matplotlib. If sophisticated VIS is essential for a FOSS model then researchers may need to look outside of web apps; for example, salabim provides a powerful FOSS solution for custom animation of DES models.”
Monks T and Harper A. Improving the usability of open health service delivery simulation models using Python and web apps [version 2; peer review: 3 approved]. NIHR Open Res 2023, 3:48 (https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13467.2)
The vidigi package was created to close this gap by providing visually appealing, flexible animations of how entities move through a pathway, using information already present in event logs from discrete event simulations.
It is primarily tested with SimPy models, and has also been used with Ciw, but the underlying design is general enough to work with other DES packages - such as simmer or Salabim - provided that suitably detailed logs are available.
By leveraging Plotly, vidigi produces browser-ready animations that can be customised, extended, and embedded into web frameworks like Streamlit, Dash, or Shiny for Python.
What does the name mean?
vidigi is the Esperanto 
word for “to show”. It can also be read as the backronym: “Visual Interactive Dynamics and Integrated Graphical Insights” - whichever floats your boat.
Acknowledgements
Thanks goes to all of the following people (emoji key).
 Amy Heather 📖 🚇 🚧 ⚠️ ✅ 🤔 |
 Sammi Rosser 💻 📖 ⚠️ 🐛 🖋 🎨 💡 🤔 🚇 🚧 📆 📣 🔬 📢 ✅ |
 Helena Robinson 🐛 🤔 📓 |
 Dr Daniel Chalk 🧑🏫 |
 Tom Monks 🧑🏫 |
 ReyTan8 🐛 🤔 📓 |
Licence
Vidigi is released under the MIT licence.
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sammi Rosser
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.