Ants and agents: a process algebra approach to modelling ant colony behaviour.

@article{citeulike:81508, abstract = {Process algebras are widely used in the analysis of distributed computer systems. They allow formal reasoning about how the various components of a system contribute to its overall behaviour. In this paper we show how process algebras can be usefully applied to understanding social insect biology, in particular to studying the relationship between algorithmic behaviour of individual insects and the dynamical behaviour of their colony. We argue that process algebras provide a useful formalism for understanding this relationship, since they combine computer simulation, Markov chain analysis and mean-field methods of analysis. Indeed, process algebras can provide a framework for relating these three methods of analysis to each other and to experiments. We illustrate our approach with a series of graded examples of modelling activity in ant colonies.}, address = {Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, 24-29 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LB, U.K. sumpter@maths.ox.ac.uk}, author = {Sumpter, D. J. and Blanchard, G. B. and Broomhead, D. S. }, citeulike-article-id = {81508}, issn = {0092-8240}, journal = {Bull Math Biol}, keywords = {discrete\_agents}, month = {September}, number = {5}, pages = {951--980}, posted-at = {2005-01-21 16:11:36}, priority = {2}, title = {Ants and agents: a process algebra approach to modelling ant colony behaviour.}, url = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11565411}, volume = {63}, year = {2001} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:81508 L3 - citeulike-article-id:81508 TI - Ants and agents: a process algebra approach to modelling ant colony behaviour. JF - Bull Math Biol VL - 63 IS - 5 SP - 951 EP - 980 AD - Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, 24-29 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LB, U.K. sumpter@maths.ox.ac.uk SN - 0092-8240 N2 - Process algebras are widely used in the analysis of distributed computer systems. They allow formal reasoning about how the various components of a system contribute to its overall behaviour. In this paper we show how process algebras can be usefully applied to understanding social insect biology, in particular to studying the relationship between algorithmic behaviour of individual insects and the dynamical behaviour of their colony. We argue that process algebras provide a useful formalism for understanding this relationship, since they combine computer simulation, Markov chain analysis and mean-field methods of analysis. Indeed, process algebras can provide a framework for relating these three methods of analysis to each other and to experiments. We illustrate our approach with a series of graded examples of modelling activity in ant colonies. KW - discrete_agents AU - Sumpter, DJ AU - Blanchard, GB AU - Broomhead, DS PY - 2001/09// UR - http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11565411 ER -