Distributed Hybrid Simulation of the Internet of Things and Smart Territories

This paper deals with the use of hybrid simulation to build and compose heterogeneous simulation scenarios that can be proficiently exploited to model and represent the Internet of Things (IoT). Hybrid simulation is a methodology that combines multiple modalities of modeling/simulation. Complex scenarios are decomposed into simpler ones, each one being simulated through a specific simulation strategy. All these simulation building blocks are then synchronized and coordinated. This simulation methodology is an ideal one to represent IoT setups, which are usually very demanding, due to the heterogeneity of possible scenarios arising from the massive deployment of an enormous amount of sensors and devices. We present a use case concerned with the distributed simulation of smart territories, a novel view of decentralized geographical spaces that, thanks to the use of IoT, builds ICT services to manage resources in a way that is sustainable and not harmful to the environment. Three different simulation models are combined together, namely, an adaptive agent-based parallel and distributed simulator, an OMNeT++ based discrete event simulator and a script-language simulator based on MATLAB. Results from a performance analysis confirm the viability of using hybrid simulation to model complex IoT scenarios.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1605.0487

How Creative Should Creators be to Optimize the Evolution of Ideas? A Computer Model

There are both benefits and drawbacks to creativity. In a social group it is not necessary for all members to be creative to benefit from creativity; some merely imitate or enjoy the fruits of others' creative efforts. What proportion should be creative? This paper outlines investigations of this question carried out using a computer model of cultural evolution referred to as EVOC (for EVOlution of Culture). EVOC is composed of neural network based agents that evolve fitter ideas for actions by (1) inventing new ideas through modification of existing ones, and (2) imitating neighbors' ideas. The ideal proportion with respect to fitness of ideas is found to depend on the level of creativity of the creative agents. For all levels or creativity, the diversity of ideas in a population is positively correlated with the ratio of creative agents

Capturing Social Embeddedness: a constructivist approach

A constructivist approach is applied to characterising social embeddedness and to the design of a simulation of social agents which displays the social embedding of agents. Social embeddedness is defined as the extent to which modelling the behaviour of an agent requires the inclusion of the society of agents as a whole. Possible effects of social embedding and ways to check for it are discussed briefly. A model of co-developing agents is exhibited, which is an extension of Brian Arthur's `El Farol Bar' model, but extended to include learning based upon a GP algorithm and the introduction of communication. Some indicators of social embedding are analysed and some possible causes of social embedding are discussed

The Simulation Model Partitioning Problem: an Adaptive Solution Based on Self-Clustering (Extended Version)

This paper is about partitioning in parallel and distributed simulation. That means decomposing the simulation model into a numberof components and to properly allocate them on the execution units. An adaptive solution based on self-clustering, that considers both communication reduction and computational load-balancing, is proposed. The implementation of the proposed mechanism is tested using a simulation model that is challenging both in terms of structure and dynamicity. Various configurations of the simulation model and the execution environment have been considered. The obtained performance results are analyzed using a reference cost model. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach is promising and that it can reduce the simulation execution time in both parallel and distributed architectures

Correlated adaptation of agents in a simple market: a statistical physics perspective

We discuss recent work in the study of a simple model for the collective behaviour of diverse speculative agents in an idealized stockmarket, considered from the perspective of the statistical physics of many-body systems. The only information about other agents available to any one is the total trade at time steps. Evidence is presented for correlated adaptation and phase transitions/crossovers in the global volatility of the system as a function of appropriate information scaling dimension. Stochastically controlled irrationally of individual agents is shown to be globally advantageous. We describe the derivation of the underlying effective stochastic differential equations which govern the dynamics, and make an interpretation of the results from the point of view of the statistical physics of disordered systems.Comment: 15 Pages. 5 figure

Overview on agent-based social modelling and the use of formal languages

Transdisciplinary Models and Applications investigates a variety of programming languages used in validating and verifying models in order to assist in their eventual implementation. This book will explore different methods of evaluating and formalizing simulation models, enabling computer and industrial engineers, mathematicians, and students working with computer simulations to thoroughly understand the progression from simulation to product, improving the overall effectiveness of modeling systems.Postprint (author's final draft