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.
The book is now available through your local bookstore,
its site at
Princeton University Press, and on-line bookstores.
You can view the Table of Contents,
download Chapter 1 (PDF), and see a list of
reviews and endorsements at
its site at
Princeton University Press.
News
Course adoptions so far. According to our publisher, this
textbook has already been adopted for courses at schools including: Amherst College,
U. Arizona, Brigham Young, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Free University of Berlin,
Indiana, Miami U., Michigan, Northwestern, Old Dominion,
Portland State, U. South Florida, Susquehanna U., University College Dublin, and U. Virginia.
Preview materials. If you are an instructor considering this book as a course text, please see its site at Princeton University Press for free preview materials.
Supporting materials. Supporting materials mentioned in the book (example codes, model descriptions, data files, etc.) are available, 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.
- Humboldt State instructors' course. Steve Railsback, Volker Grimm, and Steve Lytinen will repeat their short course for professors and other instructors interested in developing classes on individual-based modeling, June 24-28, 2013, in Chicago. (This course was held at Humboldt State University in June of 2011 and 2012 and will again be organized by HSU's Extended Education office.) Information is at the course web site.
- 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 2013 course is scheduled for 4-13 July, in scenic Bad Schandau, Germany. See the course web site for more information.
- We occasionally teach short courses when invited. Please contact us if you are interested in hosting a course.
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 professor at the University of Potsdam, Germany.
DOWNLOAD SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Follow this link to download supporting materials
mentioned in the text and errata.