Re: fest discussion -- model testing

[Catherine Dibble]

At 06:48 PM 2/24/98 -0800, Doug Donalson; wrote:
>Is anyone interested in putting together and discussion
>group on model testing and verification at SWARM fest?

hi Doug,

I suppose Robert has already seconded your suggestion,
so I'd like to formally "third" it.  As you know, in my completely 
unbiased opinion, ;) this is one of the most important discussions 
we can have at SwarmFest.   Although the grand unified
kitchen sink models are easy to design, I find myself bringing
each component down to ground zero to ensure that I 
understand its behavior, its own artifacts, and potential
artifacts of its interactions with space and with other agents. 
(e.g., how I discovered the Heatbug-hotfoot artifact)

We should count density in too, as model / system behavior
can be sensitive to density in squirrely ways, similar to the
slip-stick behavior of physical surfaces at molecular levels.
Also synchronicity, since asynchronous behavior is also a
statement about information availability wrt behavior of
other agents.  (If I'm the only one moving this turn, then I
know for sure that everyone I can see will be right where 
they are when I finish moving, although I may want to
take into account what they might do before I move next.)

Count me in too,

Catherine
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------*
| Catherine Dibble         |                                            |
| Department of Geography  |   The most exciting phrase to hear in      |
| University of California |   science, the one that heralds new        |
| Santa Barbara, CA 93106  |   discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found   |
|                          |   it!) but "That's funny..."               |
| address@hidden       |                                            |
| www.geog.ucsb.edu/~cath  |                       -- Isaac Asimov      |
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