Revision as of 11:15, 7 December 2011

Why and How to do Agent- and Individual-based Modeling

This page provides citations for materials to help people understand when to use agent-based modeling, and how to design and use ABMs. Please add useful citations!

• Railsback, S. F., and V. Grimm. 2012. Agent-based and individual-based modeling: a practical introduction. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. This is a textbook for classes and self-instruction on scientific agent-based modeling. It uses NetLogo as a software platform. The book focuses on modeling concepts, theory, and methodology and how to implement them in NetLogo. See: http://www.railsback-grimm-abm-book.com/.

• DeAngelis, D.L. & W.M. Mooij. 2005 Individual-based modeling of ecological and evolutionary processes. Annual Reviews in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 36: 147-168. The authors attempted to identify all the publications using individual-based models in ecology. They look at the kinds of problems and subjects that this approach has been applied to.

• Grimm, V. 1999. Ten years of individual-based modelling in ecology: what have we learned and what could we learn in the future? Ecological Modelling 115:129-148. This paper reviews the status of individual-based modeling in ecology as of about 1998, focusing especially on the links (or lack thereof) between models and theory.

• Grimm, V., and S. F. Railsback. 2005. Individual-based modeling and ecology. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. This book addresses the full cycle of designing, testing, using, and publishing agent-based models, and should be useful even for non-ecologists. Additional information is at: http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/titles/8108.html

• Grimm, V., E. Revilla, U. Berger, F. Jeltsch, W. M. Mooij, S. F. Railsback, H.-H. Thulke, J. Weiner, T. Wiegand, and D. L. DeAngelis. 2005. Pattern-oriented modeling of agent-based complex systems: lessons from ecology. Science 310:987-991. This paper discusses how to address 3 major problems in applying agent-based models to real-world problems: how do you design models that are complex enough but not too complex? how do you develop and test the theory used in your model? and how can you find good parameter values?

• Grimm, V., U. Berger, F. Bastiansen, S. Eliassen, V. Ginot, J. Giske, J. Goss-Custard, T. Grand, S. Heinz, G. Huse, A. Huth, J. U. Jepsen, C. Jørgensen, W. M. Mooij, B. Müller, G. Pe’er, C. Piou, S. F. Railsback, A. M. Robbins, M. M. Robbins, E. Rossmanith, N. Rüger, E. Strand, S. Souissi, R. A. Stillman, R. Vabø, U. Visser, and D. L. DeAngelis. 2006. A standard protocol for describing individual-based and agent-based models. Ecological Modelling 198:115-296. How can you describe an ABM (e.g., in model documentation or a publication) in such a way that its essential characteristics can be understood easily, while still providing all the details? This paper recommends a standard protocol for describing models, which is also a good way to think about models as they are being designed. The on-line appendices provide example descriptions of many models.

• There are many useful resources on Leigh Tesfatsion's site.