Group Behavior Modeling: Particle and Cellular Methods

Group Behavior Modeling is a subset of the simulation field that attempts to model a large system of entities and their interactions with one another. A typical entities state is dependent not only on its environment, but also on other entities within its locality. Group behavior therefore exhibits an example of emergence: where complex global behaviors can arise from the interaction of simple local rules. This technique has been applied to animal simulations, pedestrian simulations, traffic flow simulations, and computer graphics. This paper gives a history of particle and cellular based group behavior modeling, its current uses, and future possibilities.