TUTORIALS

Agent Based Modeling with NetLogo and RePast: "Agent Based Modeling (ABM) systems consist of "agents", individual objects independently interacting on "spaces", grids or networks in two or three spatial dimensions, over "time", ticks in a model space managed by a scheduler. Thus ABM combines time, space and identity into a universe being modeled."

Agents that Reduce Work and Information Overload, by Pattie Maes: "The "information highway" will present us with an explosion of new computer-based tasks and services, but the complexity of this new environment will demand a new style of human-computer interaction, where the computer becomes an intelligent, active and personalized collaborator. Interface agents are computer programs that employ Artificial Intelligence techniques to provide active assistance to a user with computer-based tasks. Agents radically change the current user experience, through the metaphor that an agent can act as a personal assistant. The agent acquires its competence by learning from the user as well as from agents assisting other users. Several prototype agents have been built using this technique, including agents that provide personalized assistance with meeting scheduling, electronic mail handling, electronic news filtering and selection of entertainment."

Repast Tutorial: October 8-9, 2002 University of Chicago Main Campus: The Agent 2002 web site now includes a series of online Repast tutorials.

Modeling Nature’s Emergent Patterns with Multi-agent Languages, by Uri Wilensky - Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University.

GEM2503M/CZ2307 Thinking Science On Computer (July 2002), Chen Kan. "The aim of this course is help students understand how nature works by exploring simple computer models. Examples from predator-prey system, vehicular traffic flow, fire-fly flash synchronization, ant colonies, earthquakes, DLA, disease spreading, and social-economic systems are used to illustrate the emergence of complexity in self-organizing systems. The course will help students to appreciate that computer modeling provides a unique way of thinking about science of complex systems."

OPEN SOURCE & FREE SOFTWARE

AScape: In Ascape, agent objects exist within scapes; collections of agents such as arrays and lattices. In Ascape, agent objects exist within scapes; collections of agents such as arrays and lattices. These scapes are themselves agents, so that typical Ascape models are made up of "collections of collections" of agents.
Scapes provide a context for agent interaction and sets of rules that govern agent behavior. Ascape manages graphical views and collection of statistics for scapes and provides mechanisms for controlling and altering parameters for scape models. Ascape is written entirely in Java and should work on any Java capable machine.

Eco Lab is both the name of a software package and a research project that is looking at the dynamics of evolution. Ecolab 4.0 is now available for general use.
Eco Lab is an object oriented simulation environment that implements an experiment oriented metaphor. It provides a series of instruments that can be coupled together with the user's model (written in C++) at runtime in order to visualise the model, as well as support for for distributing the model on a space-like grid, and checkpoint/restart support. Eco Lab has been developed from a simulation system designed to simulate a particular model (the Eco Lab model) of an abstract ecology.

Evo is a software development framework that allows developers to build complex alife simulations. Using Evo, researchers can easily build systems of independent agents interacting with one another and with their environment. Evo implements biological operators such as genetic recombination and mutation to evolve the behavior of agents so that they are more adapted to their environment.

MadKit: "MadKit is a Java multi-agent platform built upon an organizational model. It provides general agent facilities (lifecycle management, message passing, distribution, ...), and allows high heterogeneity in agent architectures and communication languages, and various customizations. MadKit communication is based on a peer to peer mechanism, and allows developpers to quickly develop distributed applications using agent principles. MadKit is a free software based on the GPL/LGPL license."

NetLogo a programmable modeling environment for simulating natur Friday, October 1, 2004 8:58 PMmplex systems developing over time. Modelers can give instructions to hundreds or thousands of independent "agents" all operating in parallel. This makes it possible to explore the connection between the micro-level behavior of individuals and the macro-level patterns that emerge from the interaction of many individuals.

Repast The University of Chicago's Social Science Research Computing's RePast is a software framework for creating agent based simulations using the Java language (requires version Java 1.3 or greater).
It provides a library of classes for creating, running, displaying and collecting data from an agent based simulation. In addition, RePast can take snapshots of running simulations, and create quicktime movies of simulations. RePast borrows much from the Swarm simulation toolkit and can properly be termed "Swarm-like." In addition, RePast includes such features as run-time model manipulation via gui widgets first found in the Ascape simulation toolkit.

SimBuilder is a rapid application development environment for RePast simulations. The intention is that the user can visually construct a simulation out of component pieces and specify the behaviour of that simulation using Not Quite Python, a subset of the Python computer language.

StarLogo: "In decentralized systems, orderly patterns can arise without centralized control. Increasingly, researchers are choosing decentralized models for the organizations and technologies that they construct in the world, and for the theories that they construct about the world.
But many people continue to resist these ideas, assuming centralized control where none exists -- for example, assuming (incorrectly) that bird flocks have leaders. StarLogo is designed to help students (as well as researchers) develop new ways of thinking about and understanding decentralized systems."

Swarm is a software package for multi-agent simulation of complex systems, originally developed at the Santa Fe Institute. Swarm is intended to be a useful tool for researchers in a variety of disciplines. The basic architecture of Swarm is the simulation of collections of concurrently interacting agents: with this architecture, we can implement a large variety of agent based models.
The Swarm software is available to the general public under GNU licensing terms. Swarm is experimental software, which means that it's complete enough to be useful but will always be under development.

COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE

ORGANIZATIONS & RESEARCH LABS

AgentLink: "AgentLink, the European Network of Excellence for Agent Based Computing, is a network of researchers and developers with a common interest in agent technology."

CoABS: "Control of Agent-Based Systems (CoABS) is a program of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate techniques to safely control, coordinate, and manage large systems of autonomous software agents. CoABS is investigating the use of agent technology to improve military command, control, communication, and intelligence gathering."

CSCS (Center for the Study of Complex Systems): "The Center for the Study of Complex Systems (CSCS) is a broadly interdisciplinary program at the University of Michigan designed to encourage and facilitate research and education in the general area of nonlinear, dynamical and adaptive systems. Participating faculty represent nearly every college of the University. The Center is based on the recognition that many different kinds of systems which include self-regulation, feedback or adaptation in their dynamics, may have a common underlying structure despite their apparent differences. Moreover, these deep structural similarities can be exploited to transfer methods of analysis and understanding from one field to another. In addition to developing deeper understandings of specific systems, interdisciplinary approaches should help elucidate the general structure and behavior of complex systems, and move us toward a deeper appreciation of the general nature of such systems."

FIPA: "The Foundation for Physical Intelligent Agents is a non-profit organisation aimed at producing standards for the interoperation of heterogeneous software agents."

LIRMM: "Le Laboratoire d'Informatique, de Robotique et de Microélectronique de Montpellier est une Unité Mixte de Recherche de l'Université Montpellier II (UMII) et du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), département Sciences et Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (STIC)."

Software Agents group: "The Software Agents group of the MIT Media Laboratory investigates computer systems to which one can delegate tasks. Software agents differ from conventional software in that they are long-lived, semi-autonomous, proactive, and adaptive. The group develops techniques and builds prototype agent systems that can be tested."

COURSES & TRAININGS

MSc in Intelligent Systems (University College London): "Intelligent Systems is a combination of artificial intelligence (classical), machine learning, and evolutionary computation. Our MSc covers the breadth of Intelligent Systems while focusing on the mathematical aspects of machine learning.
The Masters Training Package (MTP) in Intelligent Systems (IS) at UCL is a new degree programme, funded by the EPSRC, which commenced in September 2001. It is a one-year programme leading to the award of an MSc Degree. The programme combines advanced taught material with a significant project, the latter possibly completed in conjunction with one of many industrial collaborators. "

M.Sc. in Intelligent and Multi-Agent Systems (University of Westminster): "Presents an in-depth and comprehensive coverage of the fields of symbolic and non-symbolic artificial intelligence within the context of their application to agent based technology. It is aimed at professionals and graduates in the field of computer science. This site provides detailed information on the course for current and prospective students."

MSc in Machine Learning and Data Mining, MS51 (University of Bristol, UK): "Machine Learning and Data Mining are concerned with the automated analysis of large-scale data by computer, in order to extract the useful knowledge hidden in it. Using state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence methods, this technology builds computer systems capable of learning from past experience, allowing them to adapt to new tasks, predict future developments, and provide intelligent decision support. Applications are found in a wide range of fields including business, marketing, medicine, bioinformatics, robotics, computer vision and scientific discovery. Skilled professionals and researchers, who are able to apply Machine Learning and Data Mining technology to current problems and thereby push the limits of what computers can effectively do, are in high"

PAPERS & JOURNALS

Toward a Synthesis of the Newtonian and Darwinian Worldviews, by John Harte. "Physicists seek simplicity in universal laws. Ecologists revel in complex interdependencies. A sustainable future for our planet will probably require a look at life from both sides."

The Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation (JASSS) "JASSS is an electronic, refereed journal devoted to the exploration and understanding of social processes by means of computer simulation. It is published quarterly in January, March, June, and October, freely available, with no subscription."

Rediscovering Computational Autopoiesis by Barry McMullin and Francisco J. Varela
Abstract: "This paper summarises some initial empirical results from a new computer model (artificial chemistry) which exhibits spontaneous emergence and persistence of autopoietic organisation. The model is based on a system originally presented by Varela, Maturana and Uribe [11]. In carrying out this re-implementation it was found that an additional interaction (chain-based bond inhibition), not documented in the original description by Varela et al., is critical to the realisation of the autopoietic phenomena.
This required interaction was re-discovered only following careful examination of (unpublished) source code for an early version of the original model. The purpose of the paper is thus twofold: firstly to identify and discuss this previously undocumented, but essential, interaction; and secondly to argue, on the basis of this particular case, for the importance of exploiting the emerging technologies which support publication of completely detailed software models (in addition, of course, to conventional publication of summary experimental results)."
Keywords: Autopoiesis, Artificial Life, Artificial Chemistry, Origin of Life.

BOOKS & REVIEWS

Is the Universe a Computer? by Steven Weinberg about A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram Media, 1,197 pp., $44.95

Doing Science: Is the Universe a Universal Computer? by Melanie Mitchell. A review of A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram Media, 1,197 pp., $44.95. "Wolfram argues that the best way to understand many systems in nature is to think in terms of simple programs instead of mathematical equations."