INTRODUCTORY TUTORIAL: AGENT-BASED MODELING AND SIMULATION

Agent-based simulation (ABS) is an approach to modeling systems comprised of individual, autonomous, interacting “agents. ” Agent-based modeling offers ways to more easily model individual behaviors and how behaviors affect others in ways that have not been available before. There is much interest in devel-oping agent-based models for many application problem domains. Applications range from modeling agent behavior in supply chains and the stock market, to predicting the success of marketing campaigns and the spread of epidemics, to projecting the future needs of the healthcare system. Progress in the area suggests that ABS promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses use computers to sup-port decision-making and researchers use agent-based models as electronic laboratories to aid in discov-ery. This brief tutorial introduces agent-based modeling and simulation by describing the basic ideas of ABS, discussing some applications, and addressing methods for developing agent-based models.