Agent Based Modeling and Simulation

Kinship based demographic simulation of societal processes

by Dwight Read

Agent-based and multi-agent simulations: coming of age or in search of an identity?

by Dwight Read

Published in 'Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory' (2010) 16: 329–347

The promise of agent-based for explicating properties of social systems has not yet been fully realized. Agent models... more The promise of agent-based for explicating properties of social systems has not yet been fully realized. Agent models sometimes provide only a veneer of, rather than substantive engagement with, social behavior. The problem will be illustrated with Axelrod’s model for evolution of ethnocentrism (a biological model) versus Schelling’s model for spatial segregation based on preferences (a cultural model). The examples show the need to incorporate both the biological and cultural basis for behavior through a schema that includes behavior based on cultural/cognitive processing of information and behavior based on biological/cognitive processing of information. An example of an agent-based model that implements decision making in this manner is discussed. The model accounts for heterogeneity in behavior outcomes and leads to two main predictions: (1) small scale, hunter-gatherer societies in resource scarce environments will have stable adaptations less affected by variation in resource abundance in comparison to groups in resource rich regions where inter-group conflict is more likely and (2) the relationship between community size, population size and administrative complexity will have two distinct patterns, one for patrilineally organized societies and the other for matrilineally organized societies. Both predictions have been verified empirically.

Autonomy and Desire in Machines and Cognitive Agent Systems

by Kevin Magill

Co-authored with Yasemin J. Erden, published 'Online First' in 'Cognitive Computation', 2012, DOI DOI 10.1007/s12559-012-9140-9. Available through subscribing institutions. Drop me a line if you can't access.
Substantially revised from 2011 paper of same title.

The development of cognitive agent systems relies on theories of agency, within which the concept of desire is key.... more The development of cognitive agent systems relies on theories of agency, within which the concept of desire is key. Indeed, in the quest to develop increasingly autonomous cognitive agent systems, desire has had a significant role. We argue, however, that insufficient attention has been given to analysis and clarification of desire as a complex concept. Accordingly, in this paper, we will draw on some key philosophical accounts of the nature of desire, including what distinguishes it from other mental and motivational states, in order to identify some key characteristics of desire as a complex concept. We will then draw on these in order to investigate the role, definition and adequacy of concepts of desire within applied theoretical models of agency and agent systems.

Designing physical artefacts from computational simulations and building computational simulations of physical systems

by Jane Prophet

Jon Bird1, Mark d’Inverno2 and Jane Prophet3

In this paper we outline an interdisciplinary collaborative
approach to problem solving that can
be... more In this paper we outline an interdisciplinary collaborative
approach to problem solving that can
be characterised as performative as both the
goals and solutions develop over time through
an open-ended process of trial-and-error. We
describe two projects where this methodology
has been successfully applied. We first give an
overview of the CELL project where the performative
approach led to a significant change in the
way that scientist Neil Theise investigated stem
cells. The success of this project directly led to
the work which is the main focus of this paper:
the design of Net Work, an interactive artwork
that consists of a grid of autonomous buoys
that emit different coloured light in response to
the environment and the state of neighbouring
buoys. We describe our performative approach
to building the Net Work prototype and describe
in detail its control system which is based on
Ashby’s homeostat model. The paper concludes
with a short discussion of some of the benefits
and pitfalls of an interdisciplinary collaborative
approach to problem solving.
Keywords: interactive artwork, interdisciplinary,
performative, problem solving, trial-anderror

Automated bidding in computational markets: An application in market-based allocation of computing services.

by Nikolay Borissov

Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems Volume 21, Number 2 / September 2010. 115–142. ISSN: 1387-2532.

Design Principles for a Visual Programming Language to Integrate Agent-Based Modeling in K-12 Science

by Pratim Sengupta

To Appear in: Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference of Complex Systems (ICCS 2011).

Integrating Computational Thinking with K12 Science Education: A Theoretical Framework.

by Pratim Sengupta

Citation:
Sengupta, P., Kinnebrew, J., Biswas, G., and Clark, D. (2012). Integrating Computational Thinking with K12 Science Education: A Theoretical Framework. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Computer Supported Education

Computational thinking (CT) draws on concepts that are fundamental to computing and computer science, however, as an... more Computational thinking (CT) draws on concepts that are fundamental to computing and computer science, however, as an approach, it includes practices, such as problem representation, abstraction, decomposition, simulation, verification, and prediction that are also central to modelling, reasoning, and problem solving in many scientific and mathematical disciplines. Recently, arguments have been made in favour of integrating programming and CT with K-12 curricula. In this paper, we present a theoretical investigation of key issues that need to be considered for integrating CT with K-12 science. We identify the synergies between pro- gramming and CT on one hand, and scientific expertise on the other. We then present a critical review of literature on educational computing, and propose a set of guidelines for designing learning environments in science that can jointly foster the development of computational thinking with scientific expertise. Finally, we describe the design of a learning environment that supports CT through modelling and simulation to help middle school students learn physics and biology.

A Simulation for Content-Based and Utility-Based Recommendation of Candidate Coalitions In Virtual Creativity Teams

by Rory Sie

Agent-based modeling of an activated sludge process in a batch reactor

by María Pereda

The 19th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, Junio 20-23 2011, Corfu, Greece, Paper nº 61.

The aim of this work is to study the feasibility of using agent-based modeling to study the activated sludge process.... more The aim of this work is to study the feasibility of using agent-based modeling to study the activated sludge process. A model in NetLogo has been proposed, and experiments have been developed comparing the model behavior with a classical modeling approximation for this process, the Monod model.

Towards a Generic Testing Framework for Agent-Based Simulation Models

by Önder Gürcan

Proceedings of FedCSIS'2011

Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) had an increasing attention during the last decade. However, the weak... more Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) had an increasing attention during the last decade. However, the weak validation and verification of agent-based simulation models makes ABMS hard to trust. There is no comprehensive tool set for verification and validation of agent-based simulation models which demonstrates that inaccuracies exist and/or which reveals the existing errors in the model. Moreover, on the practical side, there are many ABMS frameworks in use. In this sense, we designed and developed a generic testing framework for agent-based simulation models to conduct validation and verification of models. This paper presents our testing framework in detail and demonstrates its effectiveness by showing its applicability on a realistic agent-based simulation case study.

High-Performance Computing: An Agenda for the Social Sciences and the Humanities in Canada

by John Bonnett

Digital Studies / Le champ numérique, Vol 1, No 2 (2009)

Paper was originally a commissioned report for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

In 2006 CFI announced its financial support for the creation
of a national High Performance Computing (HPC)... more In 2006 CFI announced its financial support for the creation
of a national High Performance Computing (HPC) platform, and the formation of a new organization to govern it: Compute Canada. The platform now affords Canadian researchers with more computational power than they have ever enjoyed before. HPC presents rich research possibilities for Canada’s social scientists and humanities (SSH) researchers. Our respective research communities, however, are not yet prepared to exploit them. This report outlines two possibilities that HPC presents for SSH research, centering on serious computer games and Massive Multi-User Persistent Worlds. It also contains recommended steps for SSHRC and the SSH research community to take in order to exploit them.

A Modeling and Analysis of Rumor Dissemination

by Masood Amoozgar

draft only

A Chemical Inspired Simulation Framework for Pervasive Services Ecosystems

by Danilo Pianini

co-authored with Sara Montagna and Mirko Viroli

This paper grounds on the SAPERE project (Self-Aware PERvasive Service Ecosystems), which aims at proposing a... more This paper grounds on the SAPERE project (Self-Aware PERvasive Service Ecosystems), which aims at proposing a multi-agent framework for pervasive computing, based on the idea of making each agent (service, device, human) manifest its existence in the ecosystem by a Live Semantic Annotation (LSA), and of coordinating agent activities by a small and fixed set of so-called eco-laws - sort of chemical-like reactions over patterns of LSAs. System dynamics in SAPERE is complex because of opennes and due to the self-* requirements imposed by the pervasive computing setting: a simulation framework is hence needed for what-if analysis prior to deployment. In this paper we present a prototype simulator we are developing. Due to the role of chemical-like dynamics, this is based on a variation of an existing SSA (Stochastic Simulation Algorithm), suitable tailored to the specific features of SAPERE, including dynamicity of network topology, pattern-based application of eco-laws, and temporal triggers. The simulator is tested on a crowd steering scenario where the navigation of groups is guided towards the preferential destination by showing the direction on public or private screens.

Autonomous Control System for Satellite Formation Flying

by Kary Thanapalan

Co-authored with Veres.S.,
Published in the IEE Digests on Autonomous agents in Control, 2005, pp 85 -91.

Recently there has been an increase of interest in the concept of satellite formation flying due to the efficiency... more Recently there has been an increase of interest in the concept of satellite formation flying due to the efficiency gains that can be obtained from using a large number of small crafts instead of one large one. In formation flying it is required that the satellites should fly in specified positions relative to the others and
with specified attitudes. For this specific motion pattern it is necessary to design control algorithms which are efficient and easy to implement on board. A cluster of satellites needs to operate autonomously to fulfil the control requirements of a mission without human intervention. An agent based control system is proposed to address the problem. The proposed software architecture allows each satellite to monitor the movements of the other satellites and to communicate and cooperate with others to maintain performance. The collaborative autonomous control system is able to reconfigure sensor and actuator functionality in face of degradation or malfunction. The control architecture is analysed for reliability and logical consistency

A review of Web-based simulation and supporting tools

by James Byrne

Byrne, J., Heavey, C., Byrne, PJ. (2010) Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory Volume 18, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 253-276

The area of Web-based simulation (the integration of the Web with the field of simulation) (WBS) has grown since the... more The area of Web-based simulation (the integration of the Web with the field of simulation) (WBS) has grown since the mid-1990s. The Web itself has evolved rapidly, and current Web-related research areas include Web 2.0, service-oriented architectures and the Semantic Web. This paper gives a review of the area of WBS, exploring the advantages and disadvantages of WBS over classical simulation systems, a classification of different sub- and related-areas of WBS, an exploration of technologies that enable WBS, and the evolution of the Web in terms of its relationship to WBS.

Beyond the Carrot and Stick Approach to Enforcement: An Agent-Based Model

by giulia andrighetto

Co-authored with Daniel Villatoro

Efecto frontera y localización empresarial: un análisis mediante simulación basada en agentes

by Federico Pablo-Martí

Co-authored with Carlos Muñoz

El análisis de los incentivos regionales sobre las decisiones de localización empresarial ha sido objeto de gran... more El análisis de los incentivos regionales sobre las decisiones de localización empresarial ha sido objeto de gran interés por parte de la economía regional. Sin embargo, son escasos los estudios que han contrastado en términos de probabilidad las predicciones de los modelos teóricos con datos georreferenciados de  empresas. En este trabajo se analiza el impacto de las ayudas regionales en la estructura sectorial  de las empresas del Corredor del Henares comparando las predicciones obtenidas a partir de múltiples simulaciones con los esquemas de localización observados en la base de datos SABI. La metodología aplicada en las simulaciones es la denominada basada en agentes. En lugar de simular el comportamiento general del fenómeno objeto de estudio, se define el comportamiento individual de los agentes implicados y se establecen las reglas generales de interacción entre los mismos para a partir de ellos obtener sus comportamientos emergentes. Los resultados obtenidos indican que los incentivos regionales además de favorecer el desplazamiento de las empresas hacia las zonas con ayudas generan nuevos entornos que favorecen el surgimiento en las zonas sin ayudas de nuevas empresas de características –y sectores- diferentes a las que de otro modo hubieran surgido.