Talk:Agent-based model

Verification and Validation
The section on Verification and Validation seems to be a bit obfuscatory. First of all the VOMAS model was really built for multi-agent systems not for agent-based modeling, and even then it is really only one method of doing V&V, and not the dominant method. And the section on complex systems modeling is not really specific to agent-based modeling. This section seems to need a major rewrite. I'm happy to undertake this, but wanted to post this here for comments before I did so. Wrand (talk) 21:29, 11 July 2020 (UTC)

As I've been working on this section, it has become clear that the section on Complex Systems modeling is interesting, but not relevant to this page. It doesn't even mention the word agent anywhere in it. I suggest removing it from here, but it might be useful to move over to the complex systems page. Wrand (talk) 00:32, 9 August 2020

Traffic management
I wanted to disambiguate the link to Traffic management, but I didn't know which type of traffic management was intended here. --RichardVeryard 14:34, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

Game Theory
It's really annoying to link to a topic in another article that does not exist. Edit the main article to link to something actually on cognitive closure or don't link at all. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.88.62.166 (talk) 17:14, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Merge or differentiate?
It's still not clear to me (several years later) whether an Agent based model is or is not the same thing as a Multi-agent system. Either the pages should be merged, or it should be made clear how one concept differs from the other. Rinconsoleao (talk) 10:11, 29 July 2010 (UTC)


 * In short:
 * ABM - Used to evaluate emergent properties of a system from microscale or 'lower-level' entities.
 * MAS - Used in engineering to design complex systems with emergent properties arising from 'lower-level entities.
 * The former is useful for understanding existing complex systems, particularly naturally arising systems, while the latter is used as an engineering approach for designing systems with useful properties such as robustness and decentralisation. I think this is fairly clear in the article introduction - although perhaps not to non-experts? Hope that helps. 86.8.54.48 (talk) 06:36, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

individual-based models?
Need of reference proving that Agent-Based Model and "individual-based models" are the same thing. Never heard of indiv-based mod. neither in sociology nor computer science, but maybe in ecology it is used. In that case, we should specify the field where they are named as such. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Samer.hc (talk • contribs) 14:02, 23 October 2010 (UTC)

Agree with the first point here, I generally hear (and use) ABM to refer to models without a lattice and i-o to refer to those with a lattice (i.e. when agents have physical position). 129.78.32.23 (talk) 00:26, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

I can confirm that IBM and ABM essentially refer to the same concept, in ecology the term IBM is used to stress that individuals (as opposed to populations) are modeled. FlorianHartig (talk) 17:43, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Added appropriate references that ABM is IBM in the context of ecology in the lead section (notably Grimm & Railsback 2005 is the definitive reference here). --Lexor|Talk 04:29, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

Again distinctions ABM / IBM / MAS
There is still a lot of confusion in the article regarding the distinction between ABM / IBM / MAS. From the first paragraph

Particularly within ecology, ABMs are also called individual-based models (IBMs),[1]

>> correct

and individuals within IBMs may be simpler than than fully autonomous agents within ABMs.

>> This is a tautological statement. Of course they MAY be simpler, but so MAY agents in ABMs. If the intended meaning is that IBMs are TYPICALLY simpler than ABMs, I would disagree and call for a reference.

A review of recent literature on individual-based models, agent-based models, and multiagent systems shows that ABMs are used on non-computing related scientific domains including biology, ecology and social science.[2]

>> I am not quite sure what this sentence is supposed to mean. What are non-computing related fields? Is computational biology / ecology a non-computational related field? And are do you mean they are ONLY used in these fields, or ALSO used in these fields

Agent-based modeling is related to, but distinct from, the concept of multi-agent systems or multi-agent simulation in that the goal of ABM is to search for explanatory insight into the collective behavior of agents obeying simple rules, typically in natural systems, rather than in designing agents or solving specific practical or engineering problems.[2]

>> ABMs are always used to understand a certain phenomenon, and MAS are always used to solve practical engineering problems? I had a look at the reference, I see nothing to support the statement in reference [2]. Btw. the same claim about fundamental differences is made in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-agent_system

In general, I wonder why everyone is so keen on finding a distinction between ABM, IBM and MAS. From the implementation perspective, those are the same. In ecological fields, people say IBM, in social science ABM, and in computational / engineering fields MAS. As different fields have different research interests, it may appear that MAS are used more for practical problems, and IBMs more for understanding, but that seems to be a reflection of the field rather than of a recognized property of a MAS. --FlorianHartig (talk) 11:40, 17 May 2014 (UTC)
 * That is exactly as I see it. There is no formal difference, it is effectively a distinction based on tradition within fields.  Please do make the changes reflecting the lack of formal distinction, I completely support you in this regard. I am One of Many (talk) 15:34, 17 May 2014 (UTC)


 * I argree with this point view. Old names actually does not change the nature of the model and the method. This article in the first section does not give an overview of the definition and the essential components from the perspective of the modeling technique itself. It will be good if the content can be added to the definition part from the papers listed below which give detailed and comprehensive definition and componenets of ABM.

1. Wooldridge, M. (1997). Agent-based software engineering. IEE Proceedings-Software Engineering, 144(1), 26-37. 2. Helbing, D. (2012). Agent-based modeling. In Social self-organization (pp. 25-70). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. 3. Jennings, N. R. (2000). On agent-based software engineering. Artificial intelligence, 117(2), 277-296. Thanks for your thoughts. --Caesarlan1992 (talk) 16:36, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

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First definitions of agent
Marvin Minsky in Society of Mind (1986) uses the term "agents" to model the brain functioning. That is previous to Holland paper in 1991. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Criz28 (talk • contribs) 12:35, 29 October 2021 (UTC)

The word "agent" is used many times before Holland and Miller. However, it's not used in the context of constructing a computational model of agents, which is what agent-based modeling is about. For instance, the term "representative agent" was appearing in the economics literature before 1991, but that's not what the same concept as an agent-based model. Minsky's agent is a conceptual idea, and not one used to describe a computational entity. Wrand (talk) 17:35, 5 November 2021 (UTC)