Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
2 Agent-based modeling and
simulation
This chapter presents basic terminology used in context of modeling
and simulation in general, as well as in the area of agent-based
modeling and simulation in particular. Within the remainder of this
thesis the terms are used according to the definitions and explanations
given here. After presenting basic terminology, this chapter discusses
related work.
2.1 Basic terminology
The basic terms
(complex) system
,
modeling
and
simulation
are often
used together and indeed, they are deeply connected. Nevertheless,
it is important to distinguish these terms clearly in order to avoid
misunderstandings.
2.1.1 Complex system
Complex systems
are usually understood as systems consisting of a
large number of heterogeneous, interacting components [93, 63]. The
root causes of complexity are manifold and although more complexity
metrics may be found, these are a few typical characteristics often
attributed to complex systems:
State space complexity (number of possible system states, number
and value range of model parameters)
Structural complexity (relationships and dependencies of system
components)
