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Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) is an approach to modeling systems comprised of individual, autonomous, interacting "agents." There is much interest in many application problem domains in developing agent-based models. Agent-based modeling offers ways to model individual behaviors and how behaviors affect others in ways that have not been available before. Applications range from modeling agent behavior in supply chains and the stock market, to predicting the success of marketing campaigns and the spread of epidemics, to projecting the future needs of the healthcare system. Progress in the area suggests that ABMS promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses use computers to support decision-making and researchers use agent-based models as electronic laboratories to aid in discovery. This brief tutorial introduces agent-based modeling by describing the basic ideas of ABMS, discussing some applications, and addressing methods for developing agent-based models.

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Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) is a new approach to modeling systems comprised of autonomous, interacting agents. ABMS promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses use computers to support decision-making and researchers use electronic laboratories to support their research. Some have gone so far as to contend that ABMS "is a third way of doing science," in addition to traditional deductive and inductive reasoning (Axelrod 1997). Computational advances have made possible a growing number of agent-based models across a variety of application domains. Applications range from modeling agent behavior in the stock market, supply chains, and consumer markets, to predicting the spread of epidemics, the threat of bio-warfare, and the factors responsible for the fall of ancient civilizations. This tutorial describes the theoretical and practical foundations of ABMS, identifies toolkits and methods for developing agent models, and illustrates the development of a simple agent-based model.