Towards a Unified Modelling Framework for Adaptive Networks

Adaptive networks are complex networks with nontrivial topological features and connection patterns between their elements which are neither purely regular nor purely random. Their applications are in sociology, biology, physics, genetics, epidemiology, chemistry, ecology, materials science, the traditional Internet and the emerging Internet-of-Things. For example, their applications in sociology include social networks such as Facebook which have recently raised the interest of the research community. These networks may hide patterns which, when revealed, can be of great interest in many practical applications. While the current adaptive network models remain mostly theoretical and conceptual, however, there is currently no unified modelling framework for implementing the development, comparison, communication and validation of agent-based adaptive network models through using proper empirical data and computation models from different research fields. In this thesis, a unified framework has been developed that combines agentbased adaptive network models and adaptive control structures. In this framework, the control parameters of adaptive network models are included as a part of the statetopology coevolution and are automatically adjusted according to the observations obtained from the system being studied. This allows the automatic generation of enhanced adaptive networks by systematically adjusting both the network topology and the control parameters at the same time to accurately reflect the real-world complex system. We develop three different applications within the general framework for agentbased adaptive network modelling and simulation of real-world complex systems in different research fields. First, a unified framework which combines adaptive network models and adaptive control structures is proposed for modelling and simulation of fractured-rock aquifer systems. Moreover, we use this unified modelling framework to develop an automatic modelling tool, Fracture3D, for automatically building enhanced fracture adaptive network models of fractured-rock aquifer systems, in which the fracture statistics and the structural properties can both follow