A demonstration of ABM validation techniques by applying docking to the Epstein civil violence model. (October 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Appleget, Jeffrey; Burks, Robert; Jaye, Michael
• Is Part Of: Journal of defense modeling and simulation. Volume 11:Number 4(2014:Oct.)
• Page Start: 403
• Page End: 411
• Publication Date: 2014-10
• Subjects: Agent-based model -- validation -- docking -- alignment -- civil violence -- SIRS model -- punctuated equilibrium -- 'sparks and prairie fires' -- threshold distributions; Military art and science -- Computer simulation -- Periodicals; 355.0011305
• DOI: 10.1177/1548512913516213
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1548-5129

Abstract

The increased focus of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on irregular warfare and counterinsurgency has served to identify the lack of credible models and simulations to represent the relevant civilian populations – the centers of gravity of such operations. While agent-based models (ABMs) have enjoyed widespread use in the social science community, many senior DoD officials are skeptical that agent-based models can provide useful tools to underpin DoD analysis, training, and acquisition needs mainly because of validation concerns. This paper uses docking and other forms of alignment that enable the linking of the Epstein civil violence agent-based model results to other models. These examples of model-to-model analysis could serve to assist and encourage DoD ABM human domain model validation efforts.