Multi-level agent-based modeling - A literature survey

During last decade, multi-level agent-based modeling has received significant and dramatically increasing interest. In this article we present a comprehensive and structured review of literature on the subject. We present the main theoretical contributions and application domains of this concept, with an emphasis on social, flow, biological and biomedical models.Comment: v2. Ref 102 added. v3-4 Many refs and text added v5-6 bibliographic statistics updated. v7 Change of the name of the paper to reflect what it became, many refs and text added, bibliographic statistics update

Noise reduction in coarse bifurcation analysis of stochastic agent-based models: an example of consumer lock-in

We investigate coarse equilibrium states of a fine-scale, stochastic agent-based model of consumer lock-in in a duopolistic market. In the model, agents decide on their next purchase based on a combination of their personal preference and their neighbours' opinions. For agents with independent identically-distributed parameters and all-to-all coupling, we derive an analytic approximate coarse evolution-map for the expected average purchase. We then study the emergence of coarse fronts when spatial segregation is present in the relative perceived quality of products. We develop a novel Newton-Krylov method that is able to compute accurately and efficiently coarse fixed points when the underlying fine-scale dynamics is stochastic. The main novelty of the algorithm is in the elimination of the noise that is generated when estimating Jacobian-vector products using time-integration of perturbed initial conditions. We present numerical results that demonstrate the convergence properties of the numerical method, and use the method to show that macroscopic fronts in this model destabilise at a coarse symmetry-breaking bifurcation.Comment: This version of the manuscript was accepted for publication on SIAD

From Curved Bonding to Configuration Spaces

Bonding curves are continuous liquidity mechanisms which are used in market design for cryptographically-supported token economies. Tokens are atomic units of state information which are cryptographically verifiable in peer-to-peer networks. Bonding curves are an example of an enforceable mechanism through which participating agents influence this state. By designing such mechanisms, an engineer may establish the topological structure of a token economy without presupposing the utilities or associated actions of the agents within that economy. This is accomplished by introducing configuration spaces, which are proper subsets of the global state space representing all achievable states under the designed mechanisms. Any global properties true for all points in the configuration space are true for all possible sequences of actions on the part of agents. This paper generalizes the notion of a bonding curve to formalize the relationship between cryptographically enforced mechanisms and their associated configuration spaces, using invariant properties of conservation functions. We then proceed to apply this framework to analyze the augmented bonding curve design, which is currently under development by a project in the non-profit funding sector.Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc

Multiscale design for system-wide peer-to-peer energy trading

The integration of renewable generation and the electrification of heating and transportation are critical for the sustainable energy transition toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. These changes require the large-scale adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs). Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading has gained attention as a new approach for incentivizing the uptake and coordination of DERs, with advantages for computational scalability, prosumer autonomy, and market competitiveness. However, major unresolved challenges remain for scaling out P2P trading, including enforcing network constraints, managing uncertainty, and mediating transmission and distribution conflicts. Here, we propose a novel multiscale design framework for P2P trading, with inter-platform coordination mechanisms to align local transactions with system-level requirements, and analytical tools to enhance long-term planning and investment decisions by accounting for forecast real-time operation. By integrating P2P trading into planning and operation across spatial and temporal scales, the adoption of large-scale DERs is tenable and can create economic, environmental, and social co-benefits

Simulating emergent urban form: desakota in China

We propose that the emergent phenomenon know as ?desakota?, the rapidurbanization of densely populated rural populations in the newlydeveloped world, particularly China, can be simulated using agent-basedmodels which combine both local and global features. We argue thatdeskota represents a surprising and unusual form of urbanization wellmatchedto processes of land development that are driven from the bottomup but moderated by the higher-level macro economy. We develop asimple logic which links local household reform to global urban reform,translating these ideas into a model structure which reflects these twoscales. Our model first determines the rate of growth of different spatialaggregates using linear statistical analysis. It then allocates this growth tothe local level using developer agents who determine the transformation ormutation of rural households to urban pursuits based on local land costs,accessibilities, and growth management practices. The model is applied todesakota development in the Suzhou region between 1990 and 2000. Weshow how the global rates of change predicted at the township level in theWuxian City region surrounding Suzhou are tempered by localtransformations of rural to urban land uses which we predict using cellularautomata rules. The model, which is implemented in the RePast 3software, is validated using a blend of data taken from remote sensing andgovernment statistical sources. It represents an example of generativesocial science that fuses plausible behavior with formalized logics matchedagainst empirical evidence, essential in showing how novel patterns ofurbanization such as desakota emerge

The Contribution of Social Simulation in the Advancement of Marketing Issues and Challenges

For some years now, marketers have been praising for a more holistic approach of a company’s marketing efforts across all areas. However, traditional models show serious limitations to address the complexities of managing all of a company’s touch points with a customer. Agent-based modeling (ABM) has opened the door to explore the unfolding behaviors and outputs of an increasingly connected and interactive marketplace. The contribution of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it provides researchers with a state-of-the-art repository for this strand of research. This facilitates the identification of relevant gaps in the literature and future research avenues. Second, it contributes to assess the way ABM has improved our understanding of the dynamics of markets and its participants when marketing strategies are implemented. Both goals aim at showing the various ways that social simulation has expanded our understanding of marketing and the future research opportunities for both, marketing and computer scientists