World Integrated Model
WIM is a descendant of the Mesarovic-Pestel model that first appeared in the book Mankind at the Turning Point in 1974. WIM is written in FORTRAN and consists of 49 subroutines. It was developed on a MODCOMP IV-A minicomputer, but was able to run on other computers as well. About 21,000 numbers describe the state of the global system at any given point in time. The model is documented in:
Barry B. Hughes, World Modeling: The Mesarovic-Pestel World Model in the Context of Its Contemporaries, Lexington, Mass: Lexington Books, 1980.
WIM was designed as a response to the early World2 and World3 models in three ways. It had a regional breakdown rather than a monolithic world. Different regions could have different outcomes. The algorithmic representation of physical and social processes were much more sophisticated than the earlier models. This made the model more "realistic". It also allowed the user to interact with the model during a simulation run to make policy changes. This allowed users to explore alternative futures at a then unprecedented level.
Mihajlo Mesarovic, the driving force behind WIM, has continued to work with it. The WIM model has been folded into a larger computer package for assessing alternative futures called Globesight. A smaller version of the model called MicroWIM has also been developed. More information about both of them can be found by going to the GENIe website.
More about WIM and other global models can be found in an article by me with the citation:
Peter Brecke, "Integrated Global Models that Run on Personal Computers," Simulation, Vol. 60, No. 2 (February 1993), pp. 140-144.
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Peter Brecke … Sam Nunn School of International Affairs … Georgia Institute of Technology … Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0610 USA … Tel 404 894-6599 … Fax 404 894-1900 … Email peter.brecke@inta.gatech.edu