randstatus

Randstatus is a term used in stochastic modeling and simulation to denote the current realized value of a random variable or the current realization of a stochastic state within a model. It is not a standard term in formal probability theory, but it has appeared in practitioner literature, tutorials, and some open-source projects to improve traceability of simulations.

Definition and scope: Randstatus refers to the recorded outcome of a random draw, the value of a random variable at a given step, or the current state of a stochastic process. In practice, randstatus is often represented by a small metadata package accompanying a simulation run, including the variable name, the distribution, the seed used for the draw, the realized value, and a timestamp or step index.

Applications: In Monte Carlo methods and sequential simulators, randstatus entries help reproduce experiments and diagnose issues by exposing exactly which random outcomes occurred. In agent-based models, randstatus can document the random choices made by agents. In data pipelines that include sampling or random augmentation, randstatus records support auditability and reproducibility.

Implementation notes: Establishing a consistent convention for recording randstatus values—such as a fixed schema and per-step logging—facilitates reproducibility. Because randstatus depends on random draws, maintaining explicit seeds and deterministic ordering of random number generators is important.

See also: Random seed, Random variable, Reproducibility, Monte Carlo method, Stochastic process.