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This short video clip provides a brief overview of systems dynamics and agent-based models with examples of their use in socio-environmental studies. Systems dynamics models require first specifying what the likely structure of the socio-environment system is, including its components and the interactions between them. Agent-based models are more flexible and are often used when there is diversity in the social “agents.” Social scientists use the latter term to refer to individuals, groups of people, institutions, or other social organizations. Since agents can vary in their characteristics such as individual views or behaviors, these types of models are very useful for exploring how those differences influence changes in the overall socio-environmental system.
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About the Presenters
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Nicholas R. Magliocca
Assistant Research ProfessorDr. Nicholas Magliocca was an Assistant Research Professor at SESYNC, where he supported the “Data-Intensive Analysis & Modeling for Socio-Environmental Synthesis” program; provided technical and advisory assistance to SESYNC-supported project teams and postdoctoral researchers; and assisted SESYNC’s cyber team. Nicholas was also a co-developer of SESYNC’s socio-environmental data explorer, with a particular focus on the food-energy-water nexus. His current research is in human-environment geography with a particular focus on land-use change and social-ecological systems. Building on his...
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Nicholas R. Magliocca
Assistant Research ProfessorDr. Nicholas Magliocca was an Assistant Research Professor at SESYNC, where he supported the “Data-Intensive Analysis & Modeling for Socio-Environmental Synthesis” program; provided technical and advisory assistance to SESYNC-supported project teams and postdoctoral researchers; and assisted SESYNC’s cyber team. Nicholas was also a co-developer of SESYNC’s socio-environmental data explorer, with a particular focus on the food-energy-water nexus. His current research is in human-environment geography with a particular focus on land-use change and social-ecological systems. Building on his background of complex system science, his research program investigates the intersections of security, equity, and sustainability in diverse problem domains, including large-scale land acquisitions, food-energy-water systems, and illicit economies. Nicholas received his bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from the University of California, San Diego; master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University; and PhD in Geography from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Alabama.
External Links:
https://heima.ua.edu
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3C4A4FIAAAAJ&hl=en