Small response surface designs for metamodel estimation

The primary objective of this study is to provide the novice researchers in simulation metamodeling with guidance on how to use small designs for metamodel estimation especially when cost effectiveness is a concern. This study was carried out in three phases: First, a group of second-order small designs were evaluated with respect to various criteria. Next, the metamodel of a time-shared computer system was estimated using these designs. Finally, the predictive capabilities of these small designs in giving the best metamodel fit were investigated, and also, the performance of small designs was compared with two large size standard designs. Results indicate that the metamodel estimated using the hybrid design has the best predictive capability among the small designs, and its performance competes with that of the standard designs studied. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.