Visual Modeling for Complex Agent-Based Simulation Systems

摘要

Currently there is a diversity of tools for agent-based simulation, which can be applied to the understanding of social phenomena. Describing this kind of phenomena with a visual language can facilitate the use of these tools by users who are not necessarily experts in computer programming, but in social sciences. With this purpose, we propose to define such visual language, which is based on well established concepts of agent-oriented software engineering, and more concretely on the INGENIAS methodology. The proposed language is independent of any particular simulation platform and, by using INGENIAS code generation support, it is possible to generate implementations for the desired target platforms. Also, we consider that modeling should be application domain oriented and that a generic language itself does not suffice. Thus, we discuss at the end how specific domain simulation environments could be achieved.