Creating a Model of the Earth System (MOTES): Some Experiences with Parallel ABM

Abstract

It is argued that certain kinds of problem in modern society impose a requirement on ABM to represent all human agents on the planet. Eleven reason are given, including the need for realism in social models, the importance of boundary conditions and scale, the need for global social justice, the existence of global scale dynamics created by and impacting directly on individuals, and the need to interface with other global models in order to address pressing problems such as climate change and ecosystem destruction. An indication of the difficulties involved in creating such models is given, drawing on experience of creating models with RepastHPC. The paper concludes by suggesting that rather than creating ever more model platforms and frameworks, what we need is a series of shared and collectively developed models, in a similar way to existing traffic models or, models of the physical parts of the earth system.