Final Project

Your final project for Spatial Modeling will involve an exploration of some spatial phenomenon using spatial simulation modeling. You will use a model to better understand how this phenomenon leads to complex emergent spatial patterns over
time. You will then provide a write up of your project using a scientific manuscript approach utilizing text, images and videos to explain the process-to-pattern relationship.

The goal of this project is not to develop a model aimed at perfectly representing some real-world process; instead, your aim should be to utilize complex systems theory and simulation modeling as an approach to provide a thoughtful description of how a process lead to emergent spatial patterns.

There are three choices of how to go about this project:

1. Choose a specific phenomenon that you are interested in and develop a model in NetLogo from scratch in order to simulate one or more processes that might be responsible for creating observable spatial patterns.

2. Use existing models from the NetLogo library to evaluate different types of processes that might be responsible for creating observable spatial patterns. You should identify and evaluate at least three different processes to evaluate.

3. Evaluate how the spatial and/or temporal dimensions of spatial simulation models impact model results. You can either (1) select one model and evaluate many spatial and/or temporal components, or (2) select many models and evaluate one or two spatial and/or temporal components.

Select which type of project that you want to do based on your interest, but also take into consideration your programming capabilities. The instructional staff will be able to assist you with using NetLogo, but we are not in the position to write code for student projects.