Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Geosimulation Models - AAG 2014: Call for Papers



GEOSIMULATION MODELS

DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION(S)
Since the publication of Geosimulation in 2004, the use of Agent-based Modeling (ABM) and Cellular Automata (CA) under the umbrella of Geosimulation models within geographical systems have started to mature as methodologies to explore a wide range of geographical and more broadly social sciences problems facing society. The aim of these sessions is to bring together researchers utilizing geosimulation techniques (and associated methodologies) to discuss topics relating to: theory, technical issues and applications domains of ABM and CA within geographical systems.

Papers will discuss issues relating to:
  • Validation, verification and calibration of Agent-based and CA models
  • Hybrid modeling approaches (e.g. utilizing Spatial Interaction, Microsimulation, etc.)
  • Handling scale and space issues
  • Visualization of agent-based models (along with their outputs)
  • Ways of representing behavior within models of geographical systems
  • Participatory modeling and simulation
  • Applications: Ranging from the micro to macro scale
Please e-mail the abstract and key words with your expression of intent to Andrew Crooks by November 28th, 2013. Please make sure that your abstract conforms to the AAG guidelines in relation to title, word limit and key words and as specified at http://www.aag.org/cs/annualmeeting/call_for_papers;. An abstract should be no more than 250 words that describes the presentation's purpose, methods, and conclusions as well as to include keywords. Full submissions will be given priority over submissions with just a paper title.

ORGANIZERS:
Andrew Crooks, Computational Social Science, George Mason University.
Suzana Dragicevic, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University.
Paul Torrens, Department of Geographical Sciences and Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland.

TIMELINE:
November 19th, 2013: Second call for papers


November 28th, 2013: Abstract submission and expression of intent to session organizers. E-mail Andrew Crooks by this date if you are interested in being in this session. Please submit an abstract and key words with your expression of intent. Full submissions will be given priority over submissions with just a paper title.

November 29th, 2013: Session finalization. Session organizers determine session order and content and notify authors.

December 2st, 2013: Final abstract submission to AAG, via www.aag.org. All participants must register individually via this site. Upon registration you will be given a participant number (PIN). Send the PIN and a copy of your final abstract to Andrew Crooks. Neither the organizers nor the AAG will edit the abstracts.

December 3rd, 2013: AAG registration deadline. Sessions submitted to AAG for approval.

April 8th -12th, 2014: AAG meeting, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA.

Monday, November 04, 2013

The New Science of Cities

Readers of this blog may be interested in Michael Batty's new book "The New Science of Cities" which has just been published  by MIT Press. To quote from the publisher:
"Michael Batty suggests that to understand cities we must view them not simply as places in space but as systems of networks and flows. To understand space, he argues, we must understand flows, and to understand flows, we must understand networks—the relations between objects that comprise the system of the city. Drawing on the complexity sciences, social physics, urban economics, transportation theory, regional science, and urban geography, and building on his own previous work, Batty introduces theories and methods that reveal the deep structure of how cities function."

There is a detailed description of the books content on  Mike's web site www.complexcity.info. The website also hosts numerous papers and books that Mike has written over his many years as a leading urban modeler in all its shapes and forms.