Discrete-event and agent-based simulation and where to use each

Discrete-event simulation (DES) has been used since the late 1950s. In contrast, agent-based simulation (ABS) is much newer but has been the “hottest” topic in simulation since 2005, despite a lack of agreement on what is an agent or ABS. We carefully define DES and ABS, and discuss their similarities and differences. We argue that emergence is not a fundamental tenet of ABS, as is often suggested. We give three general situations where ABS will probably be required, and relate these to actual applications. The talk concludes with a discussion of the most-important developments in simulation technology in the last five years.