1st Edition

Multi-Agent Systems Simulation and Applications

Edited By Adelinde M. Uhrmacher, Danny Weyns Copyright 2009
    582 Pages 194 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Methodological Guidelines for Modeling and Developing MAS-Based Simulations

    The intersection of agents, modeling, simulation, and application domains has been the subject of active research for over two decades. Although agents and simulation have been used effectively in a variety of application domains, much of the supporting research remains scattered in the literature, too often leaving scientists to develop multi-agent system (MAS) models and simulations from scratch.

    Multi-Agent Systems: Simulation and Applications provides an overdue review of the wide ranging facets of MAS simulation, including methodological and application-oriented guidelines. This comprehensive resource reviews two decades of research in the intersection of MAS, simulation, and different application domains. It provides scientists and developers with disciplined engineering approaches to modeling and developing MAS-based simulations. After providing an overview of the field’s history and its basic principles, as well as cataloging the various simulation engines for MAS, the book devotes three sections to current and emerging approaches and applications.

    Simulation for MAS — explains simulation support for agent decision making, the use of simulation for the design of self-organizing systems, the role of software architecture in simulating MAS, and the use of simulation for studying learning and stigmergic interaction.

    MAS for Simulation — discusses an agent-based framework for symbiotic simulation, the use of country databases and expert systems for agent-based modeling of social systems, crowd-behavior modeling, agent-based modeling and simulation of adult stem cells, and agents for traffic simulation.

    Tools — presents a number of representative platforms and tools for MAS and simulation, including Jason, James II, SeSAm, and RoboCup Rescue.

    Complete with over 200 figures and formulas, this reference book provides the necessary overview of experiences with MAS simulation and the tools needed to exploit simulation in MAS for future research in a vast array of applications including home security, computational systems biology, and traffic management.

    Preface

    Acknowledgments

    About the Editors

    Contributors

    PART I: BACKGROUND

    Multi-Agent Systems and Simulation: A Survey from the Agent Community's Perspective; Fabien Michel, Jacques Ferber, and Alexis Drogoul

    Multi-Agent Systems and Simulation: A Survey from an Application Perspective; Klaus G. Troitzsch

    Simulation Engines for Multi-Agent Systems; Georgios K. Theodoropoulos, Rob Minson, Roland Ewald, and Michael Lees

    PART II: SIMULATION FOR MAS

    Polyagents: Simulation for Supporting Agents' Decision Making; H. Van Dyke Parunak and Sven A. Brueckner

    Combining Simulation and Formal Tools for Developing Self-Organizing MAS; Luca Gardelli, Mirko Viroli, and Andrea Omicini

    On the Role of Software Architecture for Simulating Multi-Agent Systems; Alexander Helleboogh, Danny Weyns, and Tom Holvoet

    Replicator Dynamics in Discrete and Continuous Strategy Spaces; Karl Tuyls and Ronald Westra

    Stigmergic Cues and Their Uses in Coordination; An Evolutionary Approach; Luca Tummolini, Marco Mirolli, and Cristiano Castelfranchi

    PART III: MAS FOR SIMULATION

    Challenges of Country Modeling with Databases, Newsfeeds, and Expert Surveys; Barry G. Silverman, Gnana K. Bharathy, and G. Jiyun Kim

    Crowd Behavior Modeling: From Cellular Automata to Multi-Agent Systems; Stefania Bandini, Sara Manzoni, and Giuseppe Vizzari

    Agents for Traffic Simulation: Arne Kesting, Martin Treiber, and Dirk Helbing

    An Agent-Based Generic Framework for Symbiotic Simulation Systems; Heiko Aydt, Stephen John Turner, Wentong Cai, and Malcolm Yoke Hean Low

    Agent-Based Modeling of Stem Cells; Mark d'Inverno, Paul Howells, Sara Montagna, Ingo Roeder, and Rob Saunders

    PART IV: TOOLS

    RoboCup Rescue: Challenges and Lessons Learned; Tomoichi Takahashi

    Agent-Based Simulation Using BDI Programming in Jason; Rafael H. Bordini and Jomi F. Hübner

    Biography

    Adelinde M. Uhrmacher, Danny Weyns