The Agent Visualization System: A Graphical and Textual Representation for Multi-Agent Systems

Abstract

As scientists from various domains increasingly resort to agent-based simulation for a more thorough understanding of real-world phenomena, the need for a simulation environment that facilitates rapid development of multi-agent systems is growing. Such a platform should provide means of visualizing the simulated scenario. In this paper we present the agent visualization system, the first system of its kind to specifically focus on catering to the visualization needs of agent-based simulation. The proposed system is a generic add-on that equips a simulation environment with a rich set of visualization facilities offering a variety of textual and graphical browsers that allow the modeler to detect trends and relationships in the simulation scenario. Some techniques from the field of information visualization were adapted and added to the system, while others were devised especially to be used in it. Regardless of their origin, all visualization techniques were thoroughly revised to make them generic enough to fit in our generic system. Agent visualization is more challenging than traditional information visualization in more than one respect. One of them is that the data to be visualized is not static; the simulation system is constantly producing data with every time step. Moreover, the sheer amount of data, together with its diversity, call for special adaptations to ensure that the system remains responsive and generic. To illustrate the various features of the proposed agent visualization system, we present a visualization of MicroTerra; a simulation scenario involving a group of beings trying to maximize their food intake.