Over the last month, we have been working to make the iSimulate user experience more friendly and intuitive. So as we begin letting in new users, here is a brief backgrounder on some nitty-gritties of the system and what to expect when you log-in:

iSimulate @ World Bank is based on the idea of users organizing themselves in “working groups” and using “applications” to execute simulations. A working group is like any other online community. It comprises of people you know and with whom you would like to share your simulation results. An application is an economic model that is available on iSimulate.

A user on iSimulate @ World Bank must first be a part of a group to access an application. Any iSimulate user can join pre-existing groups or create new groups.

The owner (or admin) of a user-created group can add applications available on iSimulate. Once a group has access to an application, all users within the group can work on that model and dataset in real-time.

So what can you do when you log – in?

You can start off by executing simulations. By default, every user is a part of the “Public” group which is already subscribed to an application. So all you have to do is select the Public group and launch an application for simulation.

Once you get a feel for the applications and the simulation process, you can start creating your own groups and adding available applications. And yes, you can always search for available groups and join these user communities. These are the first steps toward setting up your own working community!

Gauresh Rajadhyaksha is the Project Coordinator for iSimulate @ World Bank