A Software Agent Based Simulation Model for Systems with Decision Units

This paper proposes a software agent based simulation model for studying the behavior of complex, highly nonlinear, non-continuous, concurrent systems, especially those involving intelligent units or human factors. Such a system is normally very difficult, if at all possible, to be modeled with well formed differential equations or statistical models. The normal system modelling and analysis methods were not designed for such systems and could not handle them well. This paper attempts to provide insights into such systems through a software agent based simulation model. The model represents each important factors or units in the system as a software agent. One agent can have impacts on other agents. Each agent independently makes its own decision on the impacts from other agents, and/or observations of other agents. The hidden patterns of the complex system are then revealed through simulations. An simulation economic problem is used to illustrate the model.