Maniplicons in ThinkerToy

Abstract

AbstiactThinkerToy is a graphical environment for modeling decision support problems. It provides a tableau on which such problems as landscape planning, service scheduling, and statistical analysis can be modeled and analyzed. Normally, complex mathematical and statistical modeling techniques are needed to perform meaningful analysis. Th in er k T oy uses graphical icons with concrete physical properties to replace mathematical relationships and properties. The key construct in this methodology is the ManiplIcon: an icon which is not just a pictorial representation, but also a semantic tool for building models which homorphically represent semi-structured problems.