Proc. of the Workshop on Agent Simulation : Applications, Models, and Tools, Oct. 15-16, 1999
The many motivations for employing agent-based computation in the social sciences are reviewed. It is argued that there exist three distinct uses of agent modeling techniques. One such use--the simplest--is conceptually quite close to traditional simulation in operations research. This use arises when equations can be formulated that completely describe a social process, and these equations are explicitly soluble, either analytically or numerically. In the former case, the agent model is merely a tool for presenting results, while in the latter it is a novel kind of Monte Carlo analysis. A second, more commonplace usage of computational agent models arises when mathematical models can be written down but not completely solved. In this case the agent-based model can shed significant light on the solution structure, illustrate dynamical properties of the model, serve to test the dependence of results on parameters and assumptions, and be a source of counter-examples. Finally, there are important classes of problems for which writing down equations is not a useful activity. In such circumstances, resort to agent-based computational models may be the only way available to explore such processes systematically, and constitute a third distinct usage of such models.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory; University of Chicago (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 795682
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/DIS/TM-59; ISBN 0-9679168-0-1; TRN: US200215%%229
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Workshop on Agent Simulation: Applications, Models, and Tools, Chicago, IL (US), 10/15/1999--10/16/1999; Other Information: PBD: 4 Oct 2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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