Brief introductory guide to agent-based modeling and an illustration from urban health research

Authored by Amy H Auchincloss, Garcia Leandro Martin Totaro

Date Published: 2015

DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00051615

Sponsors: United States National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Platforms: Repast Java

Model Documentation: ODD Flow charts Pseudocode

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

There is growing interest among urban health researchers in addressing complex problems using conceptual and computation models from the field of complex systems. Agent-based modeling (ABM) is one computational modeling tool that has received a lot of interest. However, many researchers remain unfamiliar with developing and carrying out an ABM, hindering the understanding and application of it. This paper first presents a brief introductory guide to carrying out a simple agent-based model. Then, the method is illustrated by discussing a previously developed agent-based model, which explored inequalities in diet in the context of urban residential segregation.

Tags

Obesity Validation systems Odd protocol Adults Stores Diet