Agent-based computational modelling: An introduction

Abstract

Agent-based models (ABMs) are increasingly used in studying complex adaptive systems. Micro-level interactions between heterogeneous agents are at the heart of recent advances in modelling of problems in the social sciences, including economics, political science, sociology, geography and demography, and related disciplines such as ecology and environmental sciences. Scientific journals and societies related to ABMs have flourished. Some of the trends will be discussed, both in terms of the underlying principles and the fields of application, some of which are introduced in the contributions to this book. © 2006 Physica-Verlag Heidelberg.