The OSSOS Survey Simulator provides user the ability to simulate the outer solar system objects that a well-characterized survey would have detected, given an input model. One uses the Simulator to compare a Characterized Detection list (like those from OSSOS, or CFEPS) to the model realization of the solar system. The simulated detections tell you what kinds of objects would be detected IF that model were true, and thus the Simulator is a 'model rejection tool'.

The CURRENT PUBLIC RELEASE, SurvSimB (10/10/2018) provides the characterization information for : CFEPS(+ CFEPS HiLat), MA (Alexandersen's thesis survey), and the first half of OSSOS (E+O+L+H blocks).

There are number of ways you could make use of the Simulator:

* You could download the OSSOS characterization files and then run your own model of the outer Solar System through the simulator to see what sorts of trans-neptunian objects (TNOs) OSSOS would have detected given your model. Comparing these ‘Simulator Detected’ objects to the Characterized Detection could be interesting.
* You could compare some independent (non-CFEPS) model to your own detections after biasing the model via the a modified version of the SurveySimulator that uses efficiency files appropriate for your survey. (Having a fully tracked set of detections would usually be the hurdle to doing this).

RELEASE HISTORY

Aug 2016 : The first public release of the OSSOS survey simulator, SurvsimA.

Oct 2018 : The second public release of the OSSOS survey simulator, SurvsimB.