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Modeling and Simulation of Large Biological, Information and Socio-Technical Systems: An Interaction Based Approach

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Interactive Computation

Summary

We describe an interaction based approach for computer modeling and simulation of large integrated biological, information, social and technical (BIST) systems. Examples of such systems are urban regional transportation systems, the national electrical power markets and grids, gene regulatory networks, the World-Wide Internet, infectious diseases, vaccine design and deployment, theater war, etc. These systems are composed of large numbers of interacting human, physical, informational and technological components. These components adapt and learn, exhibit perception, interpretation, reasoning, deception, cooperation and non-cooperation, and have economic motives as well as the usual physical properties of interaction.

The theoretical foundation of our approach consists of two parts: (i) mathematics of complex interdependent dynamic networks, and (ii) mathematical and computational theory of a class of finite discrete dynamical systems called Sequential Dynamical Systems (SDSs). We then consider engineering principles based on such a theory. As with the theoretical foundation, they consist of two basic parts: (i) Efficient data manipulation, including synthesis, integration, storage and regeneration and (ii) high performance computing oriented system design, development and implementation. The engineering methods allow us to specify, design, and analyze simulations of extremely large systems and implement them on massively parallel architectures. As an illustration of our approach, an interaction based computer modeling and simulation framework to study very large interdependent societal infrastructures is described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Chris Barrett, Stephen Eubank & Madhav Marathe

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  1. Chris Barrett
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  2. Stephen Eubank
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Department, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Dina Goldin  & Peter Wegner  & 

  2. Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-4400, USA

    Scott A. Smolka

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Barrett, C., Eubank, S., Marathe, M. (2006). Modeling and Simulation of Large Biological, Information and Socio-Technical Systems: An Interaction Based Approach. In: Goldin, D., Smolka, S.A., Wegner, P. (eds) Interactive Computation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-34874-3_14

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