Constraint Model-based Exploration of Simulation Trajectories in a MABS Model

This paper presents a method used for systematically investigating the content of a simulation model in terms of constraint logic programming, more specifically as a forward chaining (model-based) constraint exploration of simulation trajectories. Possible applications of this exploration in MAS-based modelling are: proving tendencies in a fragment of the theory of a simulation model, to tease out what affects the envelope of a tendency, and more exhaustive scenario analysis than traditional ones. The proposed exploration allows for all simulation trajectories (possible worlds) associated to and constraint by a range of parameters of the simulation model and a range of choices of the agents. The characteristics and advantages of SDML, a declarative MAS-builder simulation language, for doing this exploration are explained. It is verified that the exploration is coNP-complete. This paper represents an effort in bringing closer the constraint logic community and the simulation community.