HIDES: Towards an Agent-Based Simulator

The simulation platform HIDES is particularly designed for the simulation of logistics systems. The most important characteristics of this discrete-event simulator are the reference model for logistics systems providing a small number of simple generic elements as modeling basis and the strict separation of physical and logical level in the modeling process. The planning and control task in logistics is of increasing complexity, hence distributed solution approaches, as the multi-agent concept, offer promising perspectives. For developing purposes a testbed for agent-based simulation is conceived by adding a third level to the simulator kernel, the management level. This management level comprises a management system including an agent community, where agents are in charge of the operational tasks in the logistics system.