Stochastic Simulation of Field Operations in Surveys

Discrete-event simulation modeling has become the most commonly used tool for performance evaluation of stochastic dynamic systems in science and engineering. The field operations of surveys can be classified as one of these stochastic dynamic systems. This paper describes the simulation and modeling of simplified field operations for NHIS (National Health Interview Survey). In particular, we apply the simulation and modeling methodology to the field operations. We use the 2004 NHIS CHI (Contact History Instrument) data for the input modeling of the simulation. The input modeling methods are also described in this paper. From this study, we have shown that the simulation model can be used for optimizing the field operations by setting the controllable parameters before a decision is made and implemented. The cost savings might be enormous and would not be at the expense of the response rate.