Creating reproducible agent based models using formal methods

Abstract

Reproducibility is a problem in Agent Based Modelling. It has proven difficult to replicate results obtained by other researchers so as to confirm their findings. A number of different solutions have been proposed to overcome this issue but the effectiveness of these approaches is still open to debate. Here we propose that formal methods, an approach developed by computer scientists for the production of high integrity systems, can be used to specify even complex Agent Based Models. In order to demonstrate the applicability of Formal Methods we specify Sugarscape, a well known Agent Based Social Simulation, using the Z Notation. Our specification uncovers many ambiguities in the original definition of Sugarscape thus demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach and providing a reference specification of Sugarscape for researchers to use.