Welcome

Welcome to the web site for Agent-based and Individual-based Modeling: A Practical Introduction. This is a textbook on scientific applications of agent-based (or "individual-based"; we use the terms synonymously) modeling to study complex systems. It is intended for classes at upper-undergraduate or higher levels, and for self-instruction by students and scientists.

Our book uses Wilensky's NetLogo software (Wilensky, 1999) as the platform for building and analyzing models. This is not just a book on NetLogo, but a book on scientific modeling that includes learning to use NetLogo software.

You can view the Table of Contents and download Chapter 1 (PDF) from its site at Princeton University Press.

News

• Book is now for sale! The book is now available through your local bookstore, its site at Princeton University Press, and on-line bookstores.
  

• Supporting materials are available. Supporting materials mentioned in the book (example codes, model descriptions, data files, etc.) are now posted, and a few minor mistakes have been corrected. Additional materials are available for instructors. See the Downloads & Errata page.
  

• Short-courses on teaching individual- and agent-based modeling. The following courses are coming up in 2012.

  • Steve Railsback and Volker Grimm will repeat their short-course for professors and other instructors interested in developing classes on individual-based modeling, at Humboldt State University, June 25-29, 2012. More information on the short-course is at the course web site.
  • We will also present a one-day workshop at the 2012 meeting of the Ecological Society of America (August 5; Portland, Oregon). The workshop is entitled Getting Off the Ground with Individual-based Modeling: A Primer for Instructors and Researchers. See the Ecological Society's page for the 2012 meeting for additional information as it emerges.
  • Dresden University of Technology summer school in individual- and agent-based modeling. For many years, Uta Berger has organized summer short courses designed primarily for graduate students interested in using agent-based modeling in their research. The 2012 course will be June 7-15, in scenic Bad Schandau, Germany. See the course web site for more information.

• Wilensky and Rand book. We are happy to make you aware that Uri Wilensky, creator and author of NetLogo, and William Rand are also preparing a textbook on agent-based modeling with NetLogo. It is expected to be published by MIT Press.
  

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Steven F. Railsback is an adjunct professor in the mathematical modeling graduate program at Humboldt State University and a consulting environmental engineer and ecologist in Arcata, California.

Volker Grimm is a senior scientist in the Department of Ecological Modeling, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Leipzig; and associate professor at the University of Potsdam, Germany.

DOWNLOAD SUPPORTING MATERIALS

Follow this link to download supporting materials mentioned in the text and errata.