NetLogo and Agent-Based Modeling

[Josh]

I’m listening to an audiobook called Understanding Complexity and it mentioned a program for agent-based modeling called NetLogo. (website, browser version, source code)

It looks like a lot of fun. Has anyone tried it?

It seems easy to use.

Here are some books that use it – unfortunately, they appear to have textbook pricing:

• An Introduction to Agent-Based Modeling
• Agent-based and Individual-based Modeling: A Practical Introduction
• Simulation for the Social Scientist
• Spatial Simulation: Exploring Pattern and Process
• Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Modelling A Student’s Introduction to Methods and Procedures

And a free PDF book: Fundamentals of Multiagent Systems with NetLogo Examples

Online courses:

• https://www.complexityexplorer.org/
• https://www.coursera.org/learn/model-thinking
• http://bert.stuy.edu/pbrooks/fall2018/materials/intro-year-1/intro-pilot-1_homepage.htm

[Dan]

It does look fun. I haven’t used it, but I’ve briefly used Python’s version of Logo called turtle.py. It’s just a Python library though, so doesn’t have all the little buttons and other nice features. It’s still fun to play with though.

[Josh]

I just saw that the Coursera course is taught by the same person who did the Understanding Complexity audiobook. I might listen to some of the lectures.

[Josh]

I haven’t watched the Model Thinking videos yet, but I found a few more books by Scott Page on Amazon:

• Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life (I started reading this one.)
• The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You
• Computational Models in Political Economy

It looks like there is a 15-book series called Princeton Studies in Complexity that looks interesting.

[Josh]

Complexity Explorer was mentioned above. I found their YouTube channels and want to save the links here.

Complexity Explorer

Santa Fe Institute

[Dan]

I forgot all about NetLogo until you posted on this again. It definitely looks like something I would like to play with. I think one of my main interests in programming is in using it to experiment – with math, art, etc. Agent-based modeling seems like another fun thing to experiment with.

[Josh]

I’m planning to work through this course soon. I think his book, The Model Thinker, is the textbook. The print version will be released in March but the Kindle version is already available. I figured I could read it while watching the videos. I’m going to finish his Complex Adaptive Systems book first though.

(Edit: It doesn’t mention it on Coursera description, but another website said that the examples in the course are in NetLogo.)

Model Thinking