Agent Based Modeling

By Jillian Cordes*

An Agent Based Model (ABM) is a model that simulates interactions between individuals and groups in social and environmental settings. These theoretical models are developed as a way to analyze behavior based on methodological situations. Using computation-intensive procedures, the concept of ABM was developed as early as the 1940s, but did not gain momentum until the 1990s. These models can be used to solve and better understand a variety of business, technological and social problems. For a no-nonsense explanation of how ABM works, see What is Agent Based Modeling?

Typically researchers use real data to “model” the behavior of their “agents” in order to see what kind of changes can be expected to happen when small variables are adjusted. Today, Development Roast brings you five different games that use ABM to simulate and teach real-life change: Read More »

Leelo en español AQUÍ 

By Ioulia Fenton and Tracey Li*

By now you have probably already noticed that SimPachamama is based on something called Agent-Based Modeling (ABM). And you may very well be scratching your head in confusion, so let us explain.

ABM is the term given to computer models which simulate the behavior of individual ‘agents’. An agent is any entity which can be considered to behave autonomously, assessing its own individual situation and making decisions based on this situation according to a set of rules. If we want to explore the behavior of a single community, then each agent could be an individual person within that community. But it would also work if an agent is a group of people – say an entire village – if we wanted to study the changes in a large geographical region containing several interconnected villages. Deciding whether to treat a single person, a whole community, or even some larger group, as an agent depends on what you want to study. Read More »