Simulation Depth & Precision Module (SDPM)
OOF™ Origin Open Foundation™
Independent Methodological Authority
Architecture Ecosystem: Structured Reality Standards™
Architecture Family: SIMULOS® — Simulation Governance Architecture
Parent Standard: Simulation Purpose & Scope Standard (SPSS)
Operational Layer: Simulation Purpose & Scope Governance Layer
Category: Governance & Enforcement
Subcategory: Simulation Governance
Type: Parent Standard Module
Governed Space: Simulation Depth & Precision
Version: 1.0
Status: Canonical · Open Module
Effective Date: 16 August 2026
Compatibility: OOF® Methodology OS™ · GOA™ · ORA™ · VALIDOS® · INTEGROS® · ADIT® · AGA™ ·
AIG® · CLIA® · MGIA™ · ASGA™ · RIS™
AI-Readable: Yes
Authority: OOF®
Protection: MIP® — Methodological Intellectual Property
Canonical Language: English (UCL™)
Governed Space
Simulation Depth & Precision
Canonical Definition
Simulation Depth & Precision Module (SDPM) defines the governance conditionsunder which the required analytical depth, representational precision,
temporal and spatial granularity, parameter resolution, interaction detail,
scenario intensity, uncertainty treatment, and consequence-proportionate
simulation rigor are established for a defined Simulation Purpose, Scope,
Exclusions, and Applicability Context.
SDPM determines how deeply and precisely the governed simulation inquiry must
examine the Simulation Object without prescribing a particular simulation
model, technology, numerical method, software platform, or validation
methodology.
It prevents a simulation from being treated as sufficiently informative merely
because the correct object and scope were selected.
Operational Role
SDPM serves as the fifth and final internal governance space of the SimulationPurpose & Scope Standard (SPSS).
The preceding modules establish:
SPM — Why is the simulation being performed?
SSCM — What must the simulation cover?
SEXM — What remains outside the governed Simulation Scope?
SACM — Within which contexts is the simulation inquiry intended to apply?
SDPM asks:
At what depth and precision must the simulation inquiry operate to be adequate
for its intended purpose and consequence?
The governed progression is:
Simulation Purpose → Simulation Scope → Simulation Exclusions → Simulation
Applicability Context → Required Simulation Depth & Precision
SDPM therefore completes the simulation inquiry definition before the
architecture proceeds into governance of how reality is represented inside the
simulation.
Module Function
A simulation may have: the correct Simulation Object, a legitimate SimulationPurpose, a properly bounded Simulation Scope, explicit exclusions, and an
appropriate Applicability Context,
while still being incapable of answering the simulation question with
sufficient depth.
For example:
Purpose: Assess collision behavior.
Scope: Vehicle frontal collision.
Applicability: Defined vehicle configuration and impact conditions.
But the simulation represents the event only at a level sufficient for
approximate structural deformation.
That simulation may be appropriate for early design exploration while being
insufficient for detailed occupant-injury analysis.
SDPM prevents:
Correct Simulation Question → Insufficient Simulation Depth → Apparently
Precise Output → Overstated Simulation Meaning
Its function is therefore to establish the required level of examination
before apparent numerical precision is mistaken for methodological
sufficiency.
Simulation Depth
Simulation Depth defines how extensively the simulation inquiry must examinethe relevant characteristics, relationships, behaviors, interactions,
dependencies, states, scenarios, and consequences within the governed
Simulation Scope.
Depth answers:
How far must the simulation inquiry go?
Simulation Depth may determine whether the inquiry requires examination of:
primary behavior only, secondary effects, interaction effects, cascading
effects, dependencies, failure modes, edge conditions, rare conditions,
recovery behavior, long-duration effects, or consequence propagation.
Simulation Precision
Simulation Precision defines the required degree of differentiation andgranularity with which simulation-relevant variables, states, relationships,
events, parameters, and outputs must be represented for the Simulation
Purpose.
Precision answers:
How finely must the simulation distinguish simulation-relevant differences?
Precision may involve: parameter resolution, spatial resolution, temporal
resolution, state resolution, behavioral resolution, event resolution,
measurement granularity, interaction granularity, or output granularity.
Depth ≠ Precision
Depth and precision are related but not interchangeable.A simulation may be:
deep but low-precision
or:
narrow but high-precision.
For example, a simulation may examine many interacting system dependencies
while representing each through coarse parameter ranges.
Another simulation may represent one narrowly bounded physical process at
extremely fine numerical resolution.
SDPM therefore governs both dimensions independently where necessary.
Precision ≠ Accuracy
SDPM establishes an important distinction:
Simulation Precision does not itself establish Simulation Accuracy.
A simulation may produce highly precise numerical outputs from an inadequate
model, incorrect assumptions, unsuitable inputs, or insufficient reality
representation.
Therefore:
More decimal places ≠ Better simulation.
Precision must be justified by the
simulation inquiry. Depth ≠ Fidelity
Simulation Depth governs how extensively the inquiry must examine the problem.Representation Fidelity, governed subsequently within the Reality
Representation Standard (RRS), concerns how faithfully selected aspects of
reality are represented inside the simulation.
A simulation may therefore require high analytical depth while legitimately
using different fidelity levels across different represented elements.
Purpose-Proportionate Depth
Required Simulation Depth should derive from the Simulation Purpose.A simulation intended for:
early conceptual exploration
may legitimately require less depth than one intended for:
engineering qualification,
safety-critical analysis,
or:
high-consequence operational decision support.
SDPM does not establish one universal depth requirement.
It establishes that depth must be purpose-proportionate.
Consequence-Proportionate Rigor
Where simulation outputs may influence high-consequence decisions, therequired depth and precision may need to increase.
Conceptually:
Higher Consequence → Stronger
Justification for Required Simulation
Rigor
This does not mean every high-consequence simulation must always maximizeevery form of precision.
It means that reductions in depth or precision require stronger justification
where their consequences are material.
Minimum Sufficient Depth
The objective of SDPM is not maximum simulation complexity.The objective is:
sufficient simulation depth for the governed purpose.
Unnecessary depth may: increase computational cost, increase modeling
complexity, introduce additional assumptions, increase data requirements,
obscure material relationships, and reduce operational usability.
SDPM therefore supports the minimum sufficient depth principle.
Minimum Sufficient Precision
Likewise, simulation precision should be sufficient to distinguish differencesthat materially affect the simulation inquiry.
Precision beyond what the purpose can meaningfully use may create: false
confidence, unnecessary computational burden, misleading apparent certainty,
or complexity without additional decision value.
The governing question is not:
How precise can the simulation become?
It is:
How precise must the simulation be for the intended purpose?
Depth Dimensions
Simulation Depth may be decomposed into relevant dimensions.These may include: Structural Depth
How extensively must internal structures and relationships be examined?Behavioral Depth
How extensively must behavior, behavioral variation, and behavioraltransitions be represented?
Interaction Depth
How extensively must interactions among simulated entities be examined?Dependency Depth
How deeply must external and internal dependencies be represented?Failure Depth
Which failure conditions, degraded states, and failure combinations must beexamined?
Consequence Depth
How far must downstream effects and consequence propagation be followed?Scenario Depth
How broad and intensive must scenario exploration become?Temporal Depth
How far through time must simulation behavior be examined?Different dimensions may legitimately require different levels of depth.
Precision Dimensions
Precision may similarly be multidimensional.Relevant dimensions may include:
Spatial Precision
Temporal Precision
Parameter Precision
State Precision
Behavioral Precision
Interaction Precision
Event Precision
Output Precision
A simulation does not need identical precision across all dimensions.Differentiated Depth Rule
SDPM permits different components of the same simulation inquiry to operate atdifferent depths where justified.
For example:
Primary safety mechanism → High Depth
Secondary cosmetic behavior → Low Depth
This allows simulation resources to concentrate on what materially affects theSimulation Purpose.
Differentiated Precision Rule
Different simulation variables may require different precision.For example:
Collision timing → millisecond-level
resolution
while:ambient temperature → broader interval representation
may be sufficient for the same simulation.
Precision should follow materiality rather than uniformity.
Materiality Principle
A simulation characteristic is depth- or precision-material where insufficienttreatment could materially alter: simulation behavior, simulation outputs,
interpretation, decision relevance, scenario outcome, consequence assessment,
or downstream reliance.
Material dimensions should receive explicit depth and precision requirements.
Temporal Granularity
Temporal granularity determines how finely simulation time must berepresented.
Insufficient temporal granularity may conceal: rapid transitions, control
instability, collisions, short-duration failures, timing dependencies,
cascading events, or synchronization problems.
Excessive temporal granularity may create unnecessary computational burden
without improving the governed inquiry.
Spatial Granularity
Spatial granularity determines how finely physical or virtual space must berepresented.
The required level depends upon the simulation purpose.
A regional traffic-flow simulation and a vehicle collision simulation
legitimately require radically different spatial precision.
Parameter Precision
Simulation parameters should have precision appropriate to their materialinfluence.
Parameter precision should not exceed the defensible precision of the
underlying information merely to make the simulation appear more exact.
Input Precision Constraint
Where an input is known only within a broad range, the simulation should notsilently convert that uncertainty into artificial precision.
Conceptually:
Input Knowledge Precision → Limits
Defensible Simulation Precision
unless additional modeling explicitly governs the uncertainty.State Resolution
Simulation states should be differentiated sufficiently to capture statetransitions material to the inquiry.
For example:
Operational / Failed
may be sufficient for one simulation.Another may require:
Nominal → Degraded → Critical → Failed →
Recovering → Restored
SDPM governs whether the chosen resolution is sufficient for the intendedinquiry.
Interaction Resolution
Where outcomes depend upon interactions, the simulation must distinguishinteraction characteristics at sufficient depth.
This may include: timing, sequencing, dependency, coordination, conflict,
feedback, communication, or emergent interaction effects.
Scenario Depth
Scenario Depth establishes how extensively the simulation inquiry must explorethe relevant scenario space.
This may include:
Nominal Conditions
Expected Variations
Edge Conditions
Failure Conditions
Rare EventsAdversarial Conditions
Compound Conditions
The required scenario depth derives from the Simulation Purpose andconsequence context.
Detailed Scenario Design itself remains governed by the dedicated downstream
SIMULOS® scenario governance space.
Edge-Condition Depth
Where boundary conditions materially influence simulation meaning, SDPM mayrequire explicit examination near or beyond expected operating boundaries.
A simulation intended for robust safety analysis should not necessarily stop
at average conditions.
Failure-Condition Depth
Failure-condition depth establishes how extensively failure modes andcombinations must be examined.
Possible levels may include:
Single Failure
Multiple Independent Failures
Dependent Failures
Cascading Failures
Recovery Failure
The appropriate level depends upon purpose and consequence.Uncertainty-Treatment Depth
Simulation Depth may require uncertainty to be examined rather thanrepresented as a single deterministic value.
This may involve: ranges, distributions, sensitivity, confidence bounds,
scenario variation, parameter uncertainty, or structural uncertainty.
SDPM establishes the required depth of uncertainty treatment.
It does not replace specialized validation or integrity governance.
Sensitivity Depth
Where simulation outcomes are highly sensitive to particular assumptions orparameters, greater depth may be required around those variables.
A parameter with negligible effect does not necessarily require the same
precision as one capable of reversing the simulation conclusion.
Depth Sufficiency
Simulation Depth Sufficiency asks:Is the established depth sufficient to address the Simulation Purpose within
the governed Scope and Applicability Context?
Possible outcomes may include:
Sufficient
Conditionally Sufficient
Partially Sufficient
Insufficient
or:Undetermined Precision Sufficiency
Simulation Precision Sufficiency asks:Is the established precision sufficient to distinguish the simulation-relevant
differences material to the governed inquiry?
Possible outcomes may include:
Sufficient
Conditionally Sufficient
Partially Sufficient
Insufficient
or:Undetermined Depth–Precision Alignment
Depth and precision should remain mutually coherent.A simulation should not use extreme numerical precision to disguise shallow
analytical coverage.
Likewise, extensive analytical coverage should not rely upon resolution too
coarse to distinguish material behavior.
SDPM therefore supports:
Required Depth ↔ Required Precision ↔ Simulation Purpose Depth–Purpose
Alignment
Every material depth requirement should be traceable to the Simulation
Purpose, Scope, Applicability Context, or consequence.
This prevents complexity from becoming arbitrary. Precision–Purpose Alignment
Precision should likewise remain connected to the actual simulation question.
A precision requirement without a meaningful simulation purpose may create
computational cost without methodological value.
Depth Limitation
Where the required Simulation Depth cannot be achieved, the limitation shouldbe explicit.
The simulation may still proceed where appropriate, but downstream
interpretation must remain bounded by the achieved depth.
Precision Limitation
Where required precision cannot be achieved, the resulting limitation shouldremain visible.
The simulation should not silently present lower-resolution analysis as
satisfying a higher-resolution requirement.
No False Precision Rule
Simulation outputs must not imply a level of precision materially strongerthan the governed simulation basis can support.
No Complexity Substitution Rule
Greater model complexity must not be treated as automatic evidence ofsufficient Simulation Depth.
Complexity and methodological adequacy are not equivalent.
No Computational-Scale Substitution Rule
A simulation does not become methodologically stronger merely because it uses:more compute, more parameters, more iterations, larger models, more agents, or
longer execution.
Computational scale must serve the simulation inquiry.
No Uniform Precision Rule
A simulation need not apply maximum or identical precision to every simulatedelement.
Precision should be allocated according to materiality.
No Depth Inflation Rule
A simulation must not claim deeper analytical coverage than was actuallyestablished and executed.
No Precision Inflation Rule
A simulation must not represent outputs as more precise than the underlyingsimulation conditions legitimately support.
No Purpose Transfer Rule
Depth sufficient for one Simulation Purpose must not automatically beconsidered sufficient for another purpose.
For example:
Depth sufficient for concept exploration
does not automatically become:Depth sufficient for operational safety authorization.
Depth Escalation
Required depth may increase when: Simulation Purpose changes, consequenceincreases, new failure modes emerge, new dependencies become material, new
operational environments are introduced, new autonomy is added, new
interactions emerge, uncertainty increases, or downstream use becomes more
demanding.
Precision Escalation
Required precision may increase where: smaller differences becomedecision-relevant, timing becomes more critical, spatial relationships become
more consequential, new thresholds emerge, control behavior changes, or output
interpretation requires finer differentiation.
Depth Reduction
Depth may legitimately be reduced where: the Simulation Purpose narrows,consequence decreases, irrelevant dimensions are removed, sensitivity analysis
demonstrates low materiality, or a previously complex inquiry becomes bounded
to a simpler question.
Reduction should be justified rather than assumed.
Precision Reduction
Precision may also be reduced where additional granularity produces nomaterial improvement to the governed simulation inquiry.
This supports computational and methodological proportionality.
Simulation Resource Proportionality
SDPM recognizes that depth and precision consume resources.These may include: computational capacity, energy, time, data, engineering
effort, expert review, infrastructure, and financial resources.
The objective is not unlimited consumption.
The objective is:
sufficient governed simulation capability proportional to the purpose and
consequence.
Resource-efficiency governance may be addressed by complementary OOF®
architectures where applicable.
Depth & Precision Change
Material changes to: Simulation Purpose, Simulation Scope, exclusions,Applicability Context, Simulation Object, consequence, operational
environment, or intended downstream use
may require reassessment of Simulation Depth & Precision.
Depth & Precision Traceability
A reviewer should be capable of determining:Why was this depth selected?
Why was this precision selected?
Which dimensions received greater or lower treatment?
Which limitations remained?
and:
Was the achieved depth and precision sufficient for the original Simulation
Purpose?
Simulation Depth & Precision Record
A governed record may preserve: Simulation Purpose, Simulation Scope,exclusions, Applicability Context, consequence context, material simulation
dimensions, required depth by dimension, required precision by dimension,
temporal granularity, spatial granularity, parameter precision, state
resolution, interaction resolution, scenario depth, uncertainty-treatment
depth, sensitivity requirements, depth limitations, precision limitations,
sufficiency status, change triggers, and traceability.
Failure Conditions
SDPM governance failure may exist where: required Simulation Depth isundefined, required precision is undefined where materially necessary, depth
does not correspond to Simulation Purpose, precision does not correspond to
material simulation differences, high-consequence use relies upon
unjustifiably shallow simulation, false numerical precision is presented,
insufficient input precision is hidden, model complexity is substituted for
methodological depth, computational scale is treated as evidence of adequacy,
material failure conditions are omitted, material interactions are represented
too coarsely, scenario depth is insufficient for the stated purpose,
uncertainty treatment is materially insufficient, depth limitations are
hidden, precision limitations are hidden, achieved depth is represented as
stronger than it is, or simulation outputs are used for a purpose requiring
materially greater depth or precision than was established.
Minimum Implementation Framework
1. Identify Material Depth & Precision DimensionsDetermine which structural, behavioral, temporal, spatial, parameter,
interaction, scenario, failure, consequence, and uncertainty dimensions
materially affect the Simulation Purpose. 2. Establish Required Simulation
Depth
Define how extensively each material dimension must be examined. 3. Establish
Required Simulation Precision
Define the granularity and resolution necessary to distinguish
simulation-relevant differences. 4. Assess Sufficiency and Limitations
Determine whether the planned or achieved depth and precision are sufficient
and explicitly preserve material limitations. 5. Preserve Traceability and
Change Control
Maintain the Simulation Depth & Precision Record and reassess requirements
when purpose, scope, applicability, consequence, or other material simulation
conditions change.
Governance Outputs
SDPM may produce: Simulation Depth Requirement, Simulation PrecisionRequirement, Simulation Depth & Precision Record, Simulation Rigor Profile,
Depth Dimension Map, Precision Dimension Map, Structural Depth Requirement,
Behavioral Depth Requirement, Interaction Depth Requirement, Dependency Depth
Requirement, Failure Depth Requirement, Consequence Depth Requirement,
Scenario Depth Requirement, Temporal Depth Requirement, Spatial Precision
Requirement, Temporal Precision Requirement, Parameter Precision Requirement,
State Resolution Requirement, Interaction Resolution Requirement, Event
Resolution Requirement, Output Precision Requirement, Uncertainty-Treatment
Requirement, Sensitivity Depth Requirement, Minimum Sufficient Depth Record,
Minimum Sufficient Precision Record, Depth Sufficiency Assessment, Precision
Sufficiency Assessment, Depth–Precision Alignment Record, Depth Limitation
Record, Precision Limitation Record, Depth Escalation Record, Precision
Escalation Record, Depth Reduction Record, Precision Reduction Record,
Simulation Rigor Change Record, and Simulation Depth & Precision Traceability
Map.
Use Case 1 — Autonomous Robot Safety
Simulation
ScenarioAn autonomous industrial robot is simulated before deployment around human
workers.
The Simulation Purpose is to examine collision avoidance and emergency
stopping.
A coarse simulation is sufficient to examine general navigation efficiency but
not the timing and distance relationships relevant to human safety.
Application
SDPM identifies safety-critical dimensions requiring greater depth and
precision:
human–robot interaction,
sensor-to-action latency,
stopping distance,
human movement variation,
failure response,
and:
emergency-state transitions.
The simulation may retain lower precision for dimensions that do not
materially affect the safety inquiry. Result
Simulation resources are concentrated on the dimensions capable of changing
the safety conclusion.
The simulation does not need maximum fidelity everywhere, but it must achieve
sufficient depth and precision where the Simulation Purpose materially depends
upon them. Use Case 2 — Spacecraft Mission Simulation
Scenario
A spacecraft mission simulation is used first for early mission architecture
exploration and later proposed as part of a higher-consequence
mission-planning process.
The original simulation uses broad parameter ranges and relatively coarse
temporal resolution. Application
SDPM identifies that the new Simulation Purpose requires increased depth in:
propulsion behavior,
orbital interactions,
failure conditions,
navigation dependencies,
and:
mission-phase transitions.
Temporal and parameter precision requirements are also increased where small
deviations materially affect mission outcomes. Result
The original simulation is not treated as automatically sufficient merely
because the Simulation Object remains the same.
The changed purpose creates a new Simulation Depth & Precision requirement
proportionate to the new decision context.
Architectural Position
Simulation Depth & Precision Module (SDPM) is the fifth and final internalgovernance space of the Simulation Purpose & Scope Standard (SPSS).
The complete SPSS progression is:
Simulation Purpose → Simulation Scope → Simulation Exclusions → Simulation
Applicability Context → Simulation Depth & Precision
Together, these five modules establish:
why the simulation exists,
what it must examine,
what it does not cover,
where and under which conditions it is intended to apply,
and:
how deeply and precisely the inquiry must operate.
SDPM ends the Simulation Purpose & Scope governance space.
The architecture can then proceed to the Reality Representation Standard
(RRS), which governs which aspects of reality must be represented inside the
simulation and at what abstraction, fidelity, resolution, and limitation.
SDPM does not govern general Validation Depth under VALIDOS®.
The distinction is:
VALIDOS® Validation Depth: How strong and extensive must the validation
inquiry be?
SIMULOS® Simulation Depth: How deeply must the simulation inquiry examine the
simulated problem?
SDPM also does not govern actual Operational Reality under ORA™, general
integrity under INTEGROS®, or computational efficiency itself.
Its governed object is specifically:
the required depth and precision of the simulation inquiry.
Foundational Principle
A simulation should be neither shallower than its purpose permits nor moreprecise than its underlying simulation basis can legitimately support; depth
and precision must remain proportional to what the simulation is intended to
determine.