Instructor Materials
This page provides instructor materials for the first edition of the textbook Agent-based and Individual-based Modeling: A Practical Introduction by Railsback and Grimm. Please be aware that more complete and up-to-date materials are provided for the second edition.
Graphics: You can download a Microsoft Word file containing all the book’s figures and tables, for use in lectures. The file is: Railsback-Grimm_FiguresAndTables.docx.
The materials provided for each chapter include homework solutions, project ideas, etc. You can download individual files from the table below, or right-click here to download all files in one Zip archive (last updated: 2 Mar 2015).
Please make sure you also carefully read our errata sheet (which corrects errors and unclear parts of the book), which is on the Downloads and Errata page.
New: A prepared lecture and exercise, with demonstration model, for “pattern-oriented modeling” (chapters 18 and 19). Pattern-oriented modeling to design models (Ch. 18) and develop theory for agent behavior (Ch. 19) are two of the most important but innovative and unfamiliar topics in this book. We prepared a lecture and exercise on these topics, as a Powerpoint file. (The material is easily separated into separate lectures for the two chapters.) The lecture uses as a case study: Railsback and Johnson. 2011. Pattern-oriented modeling of bird foraging and pest control in coffee farms. Ecological Modelling 222:3305-3319. We also provide the model’s NetLogo code and input files. These materials are available from the following table at Chapter 18, but are not included in the Zip archive provided in the previous paragraph.
Reminder: These are best downloaded by right-clicking on the link and using “Save link as” or “Save target as”.
| Chapter | Link | Contents | Date updated |
| 1: Models, Agent-Based Models, and the Modeling Cycle | Chapter01_Exercises.pdf | Hints and partial solutions to exercises 1 and 2. | 31 Oct 2011 |
| 2: Getting Started with NetLogo | Chapter02_Exercises.pdf | Solutions to exercises 3 and 4. | 31 Oct 2011 |
| MushroomHunt.nlogo | NetLogo file with the Mushroom Hunt model exactly as presented at the end of book Section 2.3. | 31 Oct 2011 | |
| MushroomHunt-Exercise4.nlogo | NetLogo file with the Mushroom Hunt model with the modifications specified in Exercise 4. | 31 Oct 2011 | |
| 3: Describing and Formulating ABMs | Chapter03_Exercises.pdf | Hints and an example solution to Exercise 2. | 1 Nov 2011 |
| 4: Implementing a First Agent-Based Model | Chapter04_Exercises.pdf | Solutions to exercises 1-4. | 1 Nov 2011 |
| ButterflyModel_Ch4.nlogo | The Butterfly Model exactly as described in Section 4.4. | 1 Nov 2011 | |
| ButterflyModel-NoiseInElevation.nlogo | The Butterfly Model with the modification asked for in Exercise 4. | 1 Nov 2011 | |
| 5: From Animations to Science | Chapter05_Exercises.pdf | Hints and solutions for Chapter 5 exercises. | 2 Nov 2011 |
| ButterflyModel_Sect5-2.nlogo | The Butterfly Model as described in Section 5.2. | 2 Nov 2011 | |
| ButterflyModel_Sect5-4.nlogo | The Butterfly Model as described in Section 5.4. | 2 Nov 2011 | |
| ButterflyModel_Sect5-5.nlogo | The Butterfly Model as described in Section 5.5. | 2 Nov 2011 | |
| Exercise10_DataTransformation.xls | Excel workbook illustrating transformation of a new elevation data file, for Exercise 10. | 2 Nov 2011 | |
| 6: Testing Your Program | Chapter06_Exercises.pdf | Exercise hints and solutions for Chapter 6. | 2 Mar 2015 |
| Chapter6_Ex3_MemoryTest.nlogo | For Exercise 3, a NetLogo code implementing the test program mentioned in Section 6.3.7. | 3 Nov 2011 | |
| ButterflyModel_Ch6_Ex4.nlogo | For Exercise 4, the Butterfly Model containing output statements for the statistical test of Section 6.3.9. | 3 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch06_Ex4_TestOutput.xls | For Exercise 4, an Excel worksheet containing the statistical test of Section 6.3.9. | 3 Nov 2011 | |
| ButterflyModel_Ch6_Ex5.nlogo | For Exercise 5, the Butterfly Model containing output statements for the re-implementation test of Section 6.3.10. | 3 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch06_Ex5_TestOutput.xls | For Exercise 5, an Excel worksheet containing the re-implementation test of Section 6.3.10. | 3 Nov 2011 | |
| MarriageModel-Fixed.nlogo | A version of the Marriage Model with known errors fixed, for Exercise 7. | 2 Mar 2015 | |
| 7: Introduction to Part II | (none) | ||
| 8: Emergence | Chapter08_Exercises.pdf | Exercise hints and solutions. | 5 Nov 2011 |
| SimpleBirthRates_Ch08-Ex1_Blue_fertility_effect_on_red_extinction-table.xls | Excel workbook with example analysis for Exercise 1. | 5 Nov 2011 | |
| SimpleBirthRates_Ch08-Ex2_Red-extinction-in-100-ticks-table.xls | Excel workbook with example analysis for Exercise 2. | 5 Nov 2011 | |
| 9: Observation | Chapter09_Exercises.pdf | Exercise solutions and hints for Chapter 9. | 8 Nov 2011 |
| Ch09-Ex1-4_ButterflyModel.nlogo | NetLogo file with solutions to exercises 1-4. | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch09-Ex8_NetLogoExercises.nlogo | NetLogo file implementing the Exercise 8 NetLogo refresher exercises. | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| 10: Sensing | Chapter10_Exercises.pdf | Solutions and hints for Chapter 10 exercises. | 2 Mar 2015 |
| BusinessInvestors_Sect10-4-1.nlogo | For Exercise 3, an implementation of the Business Investor model as described in Section 10.4.1. | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| BusinessInvestors_Sect10-4-3.nlogo | For Exercise 4, the Business Investor model version of Section 10.4.3. | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| 11: Adaptive Behavior and Objectives | Chapter11_Exercises.pdf | Exercise hints and solutions for Chapter 11. | 8 Nov 2011 |
| BusinessInvestors_Sect11-4.nlogo | For Exercise 2, the Business Investor model as modified in Section 11.4. | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch11_Ex2_TestOutput-Investors.xls | For Exercise 2, an Excel file testing the Business Investor model’s satisficing trait for repositioning. | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| BusinessInvestors_Sect11-5.nlogo | For Exercise 4, the Business Investor model with the alternative objective functions described in Section 11.5. | 9 Nov 2011 | |
| 12: Prediction | Chapter12_Exercises.pdf | Exercise solutions and hints for Chapter 12. | 9 Nov 2011 |
| Ch12_InvestorUtilityFunction.xls | Excel workbook used to prepare figures 12.3-8. | 9 Nov 2011 | |
| BusinessInvestors_Ch12-Ex1.nlogo | Business Investor model version used for Exercise 1. | 9 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch12_BayesianUpdatingTrait.xls | Excel workbook implementing the Bayesian updating method for estimating failure risk, as in Figure 12.9. | 9 Nov 2011 | |
| BusinessInvestors_Ch12-Ex3.nlogo | Business Investor model with Bayesian estimation of failure risk, for Exercise 3. | 9 Nov 2011 | |
| 13: Interaction | Chapter13_Exercises.pdf | Exercise solutions and hints for Chapter 13. | 17 Nov 2011 |
| Telemarketer_Ch13-Ex2.nlogo | NetLogo file for the Telemarketer model version used in Exercise 2. | 11 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch13-Ex2_MoneySizeRatioEffect.xls | Excel workbook used in Exercise 2 to analyze how median time in business varies with money-size-ratio. |
11 Nov 2011 | |
| Telemarketer-Mergers-Links_Ch13-Ex5.nlogo | NetLogo file for Exercise 5. | 11 Nov 2011 | |
| Telemarketer-Memory_Ch13-Ex6.nlogo | NetLogo file for Exercise 6. | 11 Nov 2011 | |
| Telemarketer_Ch13-Ex7-Separate.nlogo | NetLogo file for Exercise 7: version in which each telemarketer has its own do-not-call list. | 11 Nov 2011 | |
| Telemarketer_Ch13-Ex7-National.nlogo | NetLogo file for Exercise 7: version with a “national” do-not-call list. | 11 Nov 2011 | |
| 14: Scheduling | Chapter14_Exercises.pdf | Solutions and hints for Chapter 14 exercises. | 17 Nov 2011 |
| Telemarketer-Mergers-Synch_Ch14-Ex2.nlogo | Example code for Exercise 2. | 17 Nov 2011 | |
| Mousetrap_Ch14-Ex4.nlogo | Example Mousetrap code for Exercise 4. | 2 Mar 2015 | |
| 15: Stochasticity | Chapter15_Exercises.pdf | Chapter 15 exercise solutions and hints. | 17 Nov 2011 |
| Ch15-Ex1-2_RandDraws.nlogo | Code for the random number draws of exercises 1 and 2, and the binomial distribution of Exercise 5. | 17 Nov 2011 | |
| BusinessInvestors_Ch15-Ex3-StaticSetup.nlogo | For Exercise 3, a version of the Business Investor model in which patches and turtles are initialized to the same values each run. | 17 Nov 2011 | |
| BusinessInvestors-Stochastic_Sect15-4.nlogo | An implementation of the stochastic version of the Business Investor model, as described in Section 15.4. | 17 Nov 2011 | |
| Ch15-Ex7_LogNormalReporter.nlogo | For exercise 7, NetLogo code for a log-normal distribution. | 11 Jun 2020 | |
| 16: Collectives | Chapter16_Exercises.pdf | Exercise hints and solutions for Chapter 16. | 2 Mar 2015 |
| Ch16-Ex1_LogisticFunc.xls | An Excel workbook implementing the logistic function, for Exercise 1. | 21 Nov 2011 | |
| WildDogs_Ch16-Ex3.nlogo | An example implementation of the Wild Dog model, as described in Section 16.4. (Updated October 2014 to correct an error.) | 2 Mar 2015 | |
| WildDogs_Ch16-Ex5_Transients.nlogo | An implementation of the Wild Dog model with “transients”, for Exercise 5. (Updated October 2014 to correct an error.) | 2 Mar 2015 | |
| 17: Introduction to Part III | (none) | ||
| 18: Patterns for Model Structure | Chapter18_Exercises.pdf | Example solutions to Chapter 18 exercises. | 29 Nov 2011 |
| CoffeeFarmModel-POM.pptx | Lecture and exercise on pattern-oriented model design (Powerpoint file). | 5 Nov 2015 | |
| CoffeeFarm_Teaching_Code+Input.zip | Jamaica coffee farm model of Railsback & Johnson, used as a case study in the lecture (Zip file of NetLogo code and input files). | 5 Nov 2015 | |
| 19: Theory Development | Chapter19_Exercises.pdf | Hints for Exercise 2 of Chapter 19. | 29 Nov 2011 |
| 20: Parameterization and Calibration | Chapter20_Exercises.pdf | Example solutions for Chapter 20 exercises. | 12 Dec 2011 |
| 21: Introduction to Part IV | (none) | ||
| 22: Analyzing and Understanding ABMs | Chapter22_Exercises.pdf | Hints and solutions for Chapter 22 exercises. | 14 Jan 2012 |
| 23: Sensitivity, Uncertainty, and Robustness Analysis | Chapter23_Exercises.pdf | Hints and solutions for selected Chapter 23 exercises. | 14 Jan 2012 |
| 24: Where to Go from Here | (none) |