NSF/ESRC Agenda Setting Workshop on Agent-Based Modeling of Complex Spatial Systems: April 14-16, 2007

I consider mathematical modelling and simulation to be both a legitimate intellectual exercise, and a practical aid to policy analysis and decision-making. However to the extent that there is an issue revolving around understanding models versus understanding systems, then I am fully committed to the systems camp. I think it is a cop out to produce models which may exhibit all kinds of interesting behaviour under idealised conditions which may bear little or no resemblance to real systems. It concerns me that there is a growing swell within the MAS community which perhaps regards questions like validation and policy application as faintly grubby and beneath the dignity of the simulation modelling community. These days it is easy to generate models which do all sorts of exciting things, and to visualise these models in novel and interesting ways; but it remains as difficult as ever to develop models which give real insights about real systems.