NetLogo is a

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and

integrated development environment An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source code editor, build automation tools a ...

(IDE) for agent-based modeling.

About

NetLogo was designed by Uri Wilensky, in the spirit of the programming language

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

, to be "low threshold and no ceiling". It teaches programming concepts using agents in the form of ''turtles'', ''patches'', ''links'' and the ''observer''. NetLogo was designed with multiple audiences in mind, in particular: teaching

child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

ren in the education community, and for domain experts without a programming background to model related phenomena. Many scientific articles have been published using NetLogo. The NetLogo environment enables exploration of

emergent phenomena In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own, properties or behaviors that emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole. Emergence ...

. It comes with an extensive models library including models in a variety of domains, such as

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

system dynamics System dynamics (SD) is an approach to understanding the nonlinear behaviour of complex systems over time using stocks, flows, internal feedback loops, table functions and time delays. Overview System dynamics is a methodology and mathematical ...

. NetLogo allows exploration by modifying switches, sliders, choosers, inputs, and other interface elements. Beyond exploring, NetLogo allows authoring new models and modifying extant models. NetLogo is open source and freely available from the NetLogo website. It is in use in a wide variety of educational contexts from elementary school to graduate school. Many teachers make use of NetLogo in their curricula. NetLogo was designed and authored by Uri Wilensky, director of

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

's Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling (CCL).

Other features

In addition to agent-based modeling, NetLogo also includes basic support for dynamic system modeling.

Books

Several books have been published about NetLogo. Books available in print include: * * * * * * Books available online include: *

Online courses

, several

massive open online course A massive open online course (MOOC ) or an open online course is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the Web. In addition to traditional course materials, such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, m ...

s are being offered that use NetLogo for assignments and/or demonstrations: * * *

Technical foundation

NetLogo is

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, released under a

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the Four Freedoms (Free software), four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was th ...

(GPL). Commercial licenses are also available. It is written in Scala and

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

and runs on the

Java virtual machine A Java virtual machine (JVM) is a virtual machine that enables a computer to run Java programs as well as programs written in other languages that are also compiled to Java bytecode. The JVM is detailed by a specification that formally describes ...

(JVM). At its core is a hybrid interpreter/compiler that partially compiles user code to JVM bytecode. NetLogo Web is a version that runs on JavaScript, instead of the JVM, so models may be run in a web browser. However, it does not have all features of the desktop version, and the official website advises that the "desktop version of NetLogo is recommended for most uses".

Examples

A simple multiagent model in NetLogo is the Wolf-Sheep Predation model, which is shown in the screenshot above. It models the population growth of a predator/prey system over time. It has the following characteristics: * There are two breeds of turtles, called ''sheep'' and ''wolves''. * Sheep and wolves move randomly and have limited energy. * Wolves and sheep lose energy by moving. If a wolf or sheep has zero energy, it dies. * Sheep gain energy by eating grass. * Wolves gain energy by eating sheep. * Both wolves and sheep can reproduce, sharing energy with their offspring.

HubNet

HubNet is a technology that uses NetLogo to run participatory simulations in the classroom. In a participatory simulation, a whole group of users takes part in enacting the behavior of a system. Using an individual device, such as a networked computer or

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...

graphing calculator A graphing calculator (also graphics calculator or graphic display calculator) is a handheld computer that is capable of plotting graphs, solving simultaneous equations, and performing other tasks with variables. Most popular graphing calculat ...

, each user acts as a separate, independent agent. One example of a HubNet activity is ''Tragedy of the Commons'', which models the economic problem called the

tragedy of the commons Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

References

External links

* , CCL ** , NetLogo *
NetLogo Models Library
*
Other NetLogo-related resources on the web

NetLogo news
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Discussion group for developers
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NetLogo models of multiagent systems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Netlogo Logo programming language family Agent-based programming languages Agent-based software Pedagogic integrated development environments Java platform Free software programmed in Scala Simulation programming languages Simulation software