Comparison of agent-based modeling software
In the last few years, the agent-based modeling (ABM) community has developed several practical agent based modeling toolkits that enable individuals to develop agent-based applications. More and more such toolkits are coming into existence, and each toolkit has a variety of characteristics. Several individuals have made attempts to compare toolkits to each other (see references). Below is a chart intended to capture many of the features that are important to ABM toolkit users.
Comparison of ABM Software
| Platform | Primary Domain | Supporting Organization | License | Programming Language | Operating System | User Support | FIPA Compliant | GIS Capabilities | 3D Capabilities | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altreva Adaptive Modeler | Building agent-based market simulation models for price forecasting of real-world stocks and other securities | Altreva; Utrecht, Netherlands | Proprietary; free evaluation version available for research and experimentation (some limitations but no expiration) | No programming skills required. An adaptive form of genetic programming is used to create trading rules. User can select functions to be used in the genetic programming engine. | Windows 2000, NT 4.0, XP, Vista, 7, 8 or any other platform that supports Microsoft .Net 2.0 or higher | FAQ, documentation, tutorial, examples, forum, email support | Unknown | Unknown | Yes Up to 3 agent properties can be visualized in real-time using 2D graphics and color | Unknown |
| AgentSheets | Teaching simulation to grades K–12 in social studies, mathematics, sciences, and social sciences | AgentSheets, Inc.; Boulder, Colorada, USA | Proprietary | Visual AgenTalk; can be exported to Java; | Windows; Mac OS X; should run on any Java Virtual Machine | Manuals; tutorial movies; FAQ; recommended readings on programming and simulation; personal contact with developers; elementary school training; teacher guides | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| AnyLogic | Agent-based general purpose; also supports discrete event and system dynamics simulations. | AnyLogic; St. Petersburg, Russia | Proprietary; Free Personal Learning Edition available | Java | AnyLogic models can be exported as standalone Java applications (professional version only) or applets and run on any Java-enabled platform or in any Java-enabled browser with the following version of JRE (Java Runtime Environment): JRE 1.8.0 or later; Java plug-in (needed to run models in a Browser) is optionally installed with the JRE; Windows 8, 7, Vista, x86-32; Mac OS X 10.7.3 (Lion) or later, Universal; SuSE Open Linux 10.2 or later, x86-32; Ubuntu Linux 10.04, x86-32 | Demos; training; online community; ask a question; online help; tutorials; consulting services | No | Yes: supports both tile maps from free online providers and shapefile-based maps | Yes | June 15, 2018[1] |
| Cougaar | Multi-agent systems; highly distributed, scalable, reliable, survivable applications; Domain independent; large scale distributed, complex, data intensive (can be configured for small-scaled embedded applications) | Cougaar Software Inc.; Vienna, Virginia, USA]. | Cougaar Open Source License (COSL) is a modified version of the OSI approved BSD License | Java | Windows 98; Windows NT; Windows XP; Linux; Mac OS X; and Java-1.4-capable PDAs | FAQ; tutorials; slide shows; documentation; selected references; email support; public forums; mailing lists | No | Yes Integrated with OpenMap | No | Unknown |
| Framsticks | 2D/3D simulations of (evolving) multi-agent systems and artificial life | Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland | Depends on module: GPL/LGPL/Propertiary | FramScript (similar to JavaScript) | Windows; Linux; *nix; Mac OS X | Email developer; tutorials; manual; FAQ; forums; API; documentation; selected publications; examples | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Unknown |
| Gama Platform | GAMA is a modeling and simulation development environment for building spatially explicit agent-based simulations. | IRD/SU international research unit UMMISCO, France | GPL v3.0 | GAML (GAma Modeling Language) | Windows; Linux; *nix; Mac OS X | Email developer; tutorials; manual; FAQ; forums; API; documentation; selected publications; examples | Yes | Yes | Yes | July 31, 2019[2] |
| JADE | Distributed applications composed of autonomous entities | Telecom Italia; Torino & Parma, Italy | LGPL version 2 | Java | Any Java Platform | FAQ; mailing list; defect list; tutorials; API; documentation | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| MASON | General purpose; social complexity, physical modeling, abstract modeling, AI/machine learning | George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA | Academic Free License (open source) | Java | Any Java Platform (1.3 or higher) | Mailing list; documentation; Tutorials; third party extensions; reference papers; API | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Unknown |
| NetLogo | Social and natural sciences; Help beginning users get started authoring models | Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA | GPL | NetLogo | Any Java Virtual Machine, version 6 or later. | Documentation; FAQ; selected references; tutorials; third party extensions; defect list; mailing lists | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Version 6.0 (Nov 2016) |
| Repast | Social sciences | Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago; Lemont, Illinois, USA | BSD | Java (RepastS, RepastJ); Python (RepastPy); Visual Basic, .Net, C++, J#, C# (Repast.net) | Java version 1.4, although a 1.3 version for Mac OS X is available. To run the demonstration simulations, you'll need a Java Runtime Environment (RepastS, RepastJ); platform independent (RepastPy); Windows (Repast.net) | Documentation; mailing list; defect list; reference papers; external tools; tutorials; FAQ; examples | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Unknown |
| SARL | Distributed applications composed of autonomous entities | * Stéphane Galland, Burgundy Franche-Comté University, France; * Nicolas Gaud, Burgundy Franche-Comté University, France, * Sebastian Rodriguez, Advanced Informatics Technology Research Group, Tucuman, Argentina |
Apache version 2 | SARL, Java | Java version 1.8 or higher. | FAQ; mailing list; bug tracker; tutorials; API; documentation | Unknown | Yes By using Java extension libraries, e.g. AFC. | Yes By using Java extension libraries, e.g. Java 3D. | 2018-04-03 |
| Soar | General purpose AI; human performance modeling; learning (including explanation-based learning) | John E. Laird, Clare Bates Congdon, Mazin Assanie, Nate Derbinsky and Joseph Xu; Division of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA | BSD | Soar 1 to 5 in Lisp; Soar 6 in C; Java, C++, TCL | Windows 98; Windows ME; Windows 2000; Windows XP; Linux; Mac OS X | Documentation; FAQ; selected publications; defect list; third party extensions; mailing list; contact authors; tutorial; examples; wiki | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| StarLogo | Social and natural sciences; Educators; for students to model the behavior of decentralized systems; user friendly for K–12 students | Mitchel Resnick, Eric Klopfer, and others at MIT Media Lab and The MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA, USA | Free (closed source) – Clearthought Software License, Version 1.0 | StarLogo (an extension of Logo) | Mac OS X v10.2.6 or higher with Java 1.4 installed; Windows; Unix; Linux (StarLogo does not seem to be compatible with Java 5/1.5 on Solaris) | Mailing list; tutorials; FAQ; bug list; documentation; developer contacts | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Sugarscape | Social sciences; education | GPL | Java | Java 2 SDK or (Internet Explorer 5.x or greater AND the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE)) | API | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Swarm | General purpose agent based | Swarm Development Group | GPL | Java; Objective-C | Windows; Linux; Mac OS X | Wiki; tutorials; examples; documentation; FAQ; selected publications; mailing lists | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
References
- ^ "AnyLogic 8.3 is here – find out what's new — AnyLogic Simulation Software". www.anylogic.com. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
- ^ https://github.com/gama-platform/gama/releases/tag/v1.8.0. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
- Nikolai, C.; G. Madey (2008). "Tools of the Trade: A Survey of Various Agent Based Modeling Platforms", Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 12 (2).
- Au. R.J. Allan (2009) Survey of Agent Based Modelling and Simulation Tools
- Castle, C; A. Crooks (2006). "Principles and Concepts of Agent-Based Modelling for Developing Geospatial Simulations". Working Paper 110.
- Tobias, R; C. Hofmann (2004). "Evaluation of free Java-libraries for social-scientific agent based simulation". Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation. 7 (1).
- Railsback, S. F.; S. L. Lytinen (2006). "Agent-based simulation platforms: review and development recommendations". Simulations. 82 (9): 609–623. doi:10.1177/0037549706073695.
- Salamon, T. (2011). Design of Agent-Based Models : Developing Computer Simulations for a Better Understanding of Social Processes. Bruckner Publishing. ISBN 978-80-904661-1-1.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Serenko, A; B. Detlor (2002). "Agent Toolkits: A General Overview of The Market and an Assessment of Instructor Satisfaction with Utilizing Toolkits in the Classroom" (PDF). Working Paper #455.
External links
- Publicly Available Implementations of FIPA Specifications
- FIPA Specification Users Organised by Company or Organisation (includes all from the above link, without the details, and some non-public ones)
- Survey of Agent Based Modelling and Simulation Tools