Entities and Relations for Agent-Based Modelling of Complex Spatial Systems

This work presents a contribution towards generalising the representation of geospatial entities and their relations for simulating complex spatial systems using the agent based approach. We analyse the literature, and argue that each of the four types of relation is necessary. These relations can be grouped in two classes, placements and neighbourhoods, with likenesses and differences between them. Given that, we define requirements for representing geospatial entities and their relations, and study seven agent-based modelling toolkits (NetLogo, OBEUS, Repast, Swarm, Cormas, GRSP, and TerraME), analysing their capabilities to address the proposed requirements. Finally, we present our current work and future directions on developing TerraME.