Agent based simulation design for aggregation and disaggregation

This paper proposes a framework for designing an agent based simulation to allow for easy aggregation and/or disaggregation of agent characteristics, behaviors, and interactions using a supply chain modeling context. Guidelines are provided for designing agent structure to demonstrate scalability in terms of fidelity to fit the needs of the analysis. The design methodology is based on combining hierarchical modeling with data-driven modeling. Related work done in variable-resolution modeling is a generalization for any modeling technique, while our proposed guidelines are specific for development of agent based models.