Supermodels and James Bond: How They Are Different From Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation Alexander S. Mentis 15 October 2013

Agent-Based Modeling? Sadly, no.

Then what is it? Simulation –The imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time Not to be confused with… Emulation –The replication of the behavior of a real-world process or system

Benefits of Simulation Faster (maybe) Cheaper (maybe) Safer (most likely)

Simulation begins with a model… The “model represents the key characteristics or behaviors/functions of the selected physical or abstract system or process” Agent-based modeling (ABM) models “the actions and interactions of autonomous agents … with a view to assessing their effects on the system as a whole” (Source: Wikiknow-it-all)

Verification and Validation Verification –“Am I building the thing right?” –Is the functionality implemented correctly? Validation –“Am I building the right thing?” –Does the behavior of the simulated system match the behavior of the real one? –Does the simulation produce the needed output?

Applications of Simulation Training and education “What-if?” analysis and prediction Testing Studying complex systems –Biology –Ecology –Social/network science

Repast Agent-Based Simulation Toolkit