View source for SwarmWiki:Objectives and organization


==Wiki Objectives==
This site has three distinct objectives:

* Provide resources and support for all agent- and individual-based modelers, regardless of their scientific domain and software platform
* Distribute and support the Swarm platform for agent-based modeling
* Provide a home for the Swarm Development Group.

==Organization of the [[Main_Page|Main Page]]==
This page has five sections. The overall format is designed to let users easily see (a) major news items without having to link through to other pages, while also (b) the full range of content available on the site. Therefore, the page has a left-hand column of news, and three very concise boxes---one for each of the wiki's three objectives---in the right column. A help box is at the bottom.

===News (blue box)===
* The News box contains news items of general interest to agent-based modelers and Swarm users. 
* Appropriate items include major announcements concerning Swarm or other platforms, SwarmFest and other conferences, changes to the wiki, new publications of widespread interest, etc.
* Users are encouraged to contribute news items following [[SwarmWiki:FAQ#Q._How_do_I_add_a_news_item_to_the_wiki.27s_main_page.3F|this procedure]].
* News items are labeled with the date they were posted and are eventually moved to an archive. (This label is added via the &quot;posted&quot; template and the &quot;Your signature plus timestamp&quot; button on the Wiki editor.) (Items must be manually moved to the archive page.)

===Agent- and Individual-based Modeling Resources (tan box)===
* This section addresses the first objective, by providing information of general interest.
* Items are formatted in an &quot;unordered list&quot; (bullet lists), with each item consisting of a short announcement linked to a page on the wiki where details are posted. This format allows users to see and go to a lot of information in a small space.
* One item is a link to a Modeling Resources main page, where all the content on general resources is available.

===Swarm Software (rose box)===
* This section addresses the second objective, providing an entryway into the wiki's resources for Swarm software.
* Items are formatted in an unordered list of short announcements linked to wiki pages where details are posted.
* One item is a link to a Swarm software main page, which has links to all the Swarm resources.

===Swarm Development Group (green box)===
* This section addresses the third objective by providing links to information on SDG.
* Like the previous two sections, items are a bullet list of links. One link is to a main page for SDG.

===Help (grey box)===
* Includes a link to this description of the wiki's format and objectives
* Includes links to help pages within our wiki and to WikiMedia's documentation.

==Organization of the [[ABM_Resources|ABM Resources page]]==
The ABM Resources page is the main page for content of general interest to agent-based modelers. It has four sections, plus a help box at the bottom.

Each of the boxes on the [[ABM_Resources|ABM Resources page]] contains a series of bullets that each briefly describing a resource and contain a link to a page for that resource.

===User Community Resources===
This section provides information on user community resources and events: email lists, meetings, etc. where agent-based modelers can interact and support each other. 

===Software Resources===
This section provides general information on software for agent-based modeling. Appropriate content includes information comparing platforms and helping people select a platform, and resources for learning platforms that are not specific to any one platform. It does ''not'' provide detailed information on any particular software platform.

===Why and How to do Agent-based and Individual-based Modeling===
This section addresses general methodological and philosophical issues. Content should include information on when agent-based approaches are appropriate, how to build and test ABMs, how to apply ABMs to scientific or management problems, and how to publish results.

===Domain-Specific Resources===
This section contains or points to resources in specific scientific domains where agent-based modeling is used. 

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