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A Process Based on the Model-Driven Architecture
to Enable the Definition of Platform-Independent
Simulation Models
Alfredo Garro * , Francesco Parisi, and Wilma Russo
Department of Electronics, Computer and System Sciences (DEIS),
University of Calabria, via P. Bucci 41C, Rende (CS), 87036, Italy
{ garro,w.russo}@unical.it, fparisi@deis.unical.it
Abstract. Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) offers many
advantages for dealing with and understanding a great variety of complex sys-
tems and phenomena in several application domains (e.g. financial, economic,
social, logistics, chemical, engineering) allowing to overcome the limitations of
the classical and analytical modelling techniques. However, the definition of
agent-oriented models and the use of the existing agent-based simulation plat-
forms often require advanced modelling and programming skills, thus hindering
a wider adoption of the ABMS mainly in those domains that would benefit
more from it. To promote and ease the exploitation of ABMS, especially among
domain experts, the paper proposes the jointly exploitation of both Platform-
Independent Metamodels and Model-Driven approaches by defining a
Model-Driven process (MDA4ABMS) which conforms to the OMG Model-
Driven Architecture (MDA) and enables the definition of Platform-Independent
simulation Models from which Platform-Dependent simulation Models and
the related code can be automatically obtained with significant reduction of
programming and implementation efforts.
Keywords: Agent-based Modeling and Simulation, Model-driven Develop-
ment, Model-driven Architecture, Platform-independent Simulation Models.
1
Introduction
Approaches which combine agent-based modeling with simulation make it possible to
support not only the definition of the model of a system at different levels of com-
plexity through the use of autonomous, goal-driven and interacting entities (agents)
organized into societies which exhibit emergent properties , but also the execution of
the obtained model to simulate the behavior of the complete system so that knowledge
of the behaviors of the entities (micro-level) produces an understanding of the overall
outcome at the system-level (macro-level).
Despite the acknowledged potential of Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation
(ABMS) for analyzing and modeling complex systems in a wide range of application
* Corresponding author.
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