research-article

A family of languages for trustworthy agent-based simulation

Authors:

Steffen Zschaler,

Fiona A. C. PolackAuthors Info & Claims

SLE 2020: Proceedings of the 13th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering

Pages 16 - 21

https://doi.org/10.1145/3426425.3426929

Published: 15 November 2020 Publication History

Abstract

Simulation is a key tool for researching complex system behaviour. Agent-based simulation has been applied across domains, such as biology, health, economics and urban sciences. However, engineering robust, efficient, maintainable, and reliable agent-based simulations is challenging. We present a vision for engineering agent simulations comprising a family of domain-specific modelling languages (DSMLs) that integrates core software engineering, validation and simulation experimentation. We relate the vision to examples of principled simulation, to show how the DSMLs would improve robustness, efficiency, and maintainability of simulations. Focusing on how to demonstrate the fitness for purpose of a simulator, the envisaged approach supports bi-directional transparency and traceability between the original domain understanding to the implementation, interpretation of results and evaluation of hypotheses.

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Simulation is a key tool for researching complex system behaviour. Agent-based simulation has been applied across domains, such as biology, health, economics and urban sciences. However, engineering robust, efficient, maintainable, and reliable agent-based simulations is challenging. We present a vision for engineering agent simulations comprising a family of domain-specific modelling languages (DSMLs) that integrates core software engineering, validation and simulation experimentation. We relate the vision to examples of principled simulation, to show how the DSMLs would improve robustness, efficiency, and maintainability of simulations. Focusing on how to demonstrate the fitness for purpose of a simulator, the envisaged approach supports bi-directional transparency and traceability between the original domain understanding to the implementation, interpretation of results and evaluation of hypotheses.

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Cited By

Uhrmacher AFrazier PHähnle RKlügl FLorig FLudäscher BNenzi LRuiz-Martin CRumpe BSzabo CWainer GWilsdorf P(2024)Context, Composition, Automation, and Communication: The C2AC Roadmap for Modeling and SimulationACM Transactions on Modeling and Computer Simulation10.1145/367322634:4(1-51)Online publication date: 13-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3673226
Zschaler SPolack F(2023)Trustworthy agent-based simulation: the case for domain-specific modelling languagesSoftware and Systems Modeling10.1007/s10270-023-01082-922:2(455-470)Online publication date: 8-Feb-2023
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-023-01082-9
Godfrey TBatra RDouthwaite SEdgeworth JMiles SZschaler S(2022)A Methodology for DSML-Assisted Participatory Agent-Based Enterprise ModellingThe Practice of Enterprise Modeling10.1007/978-3-031-21488-2_13(201-215)Online publication date: 17-Nov-2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21488-2_13
Show More Cited By

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A family of languages for trustworthy agent-based simulation

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cover image ACM Conferences

SLE 2020: Proceedings of the 13th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering

November 2020

295 pages

ISBN:9781450381765

DOI:10.1145/3426425

General Chair:
Ralf Lämmel
Facebook, UK
,
Program Chairs:
Laurence Tratt
King's College London, UK
,
Juan de Lara
Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain

Copyright © 2020 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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Published: 15 November 2020

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Cited By

Uhrmacher AFrazier PHähnle RKlügl FLorig FLudäscher BNenzi LRuiz-Martin CRumpe BSzabo CWainer GWilsdorf P(2024)Context, Composition, Automation, and Communication: The C2AC Roadmap for Modeling and SimulationACM Transactions on Modeling and Computer Simulation10.1145/367322634:4(1-51)Online publication date: 13-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3673226
Zschaler SPolack F(2023)Trustworthy agent-based simulation: the case for domain-specific modelling languagesSoftware and Systems Modeling10.1007/s10270-023-01082-922:2(455-470)Online publication date: 8-Feb-2023
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-023-01082-9
Godfrey TBatra RDouthwaite SEdgeworth JMiles SZschaler S(2022)A Methodology for DSML-Assisted Participatory Agent-Based Enterprise ModellingThe Practice of Enterprise Modeling10.1007/978-3-031-21488-2_13(201-215)Online publication date: 17-Nov-2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21488-2_13
Talcott CAnanieva SBae KCombemale BHeinrich RHills MKhakpour NReussner RRumpe BScandurra PVangheluwe HDurán FZschaler S(2021)FoundationsComposing Model-Based Analysis Tools10.1007/978-3-030-81915-6_2(9-37)Online publication date: 18-Jul-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81915-6_2

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