NetLogo
Agent-based modeling environment for simulating natural and social phenomena
- Vendor
- CCL, Northwestern University
- License
- Open Source
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
- Official site
- ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/ ↗
NetLogo is the most widely used agent-based modeling environment in education and research. Models are written in a purpose-built language designed for describing turtles (agents), patches (space), and links, and the built-in Models Library ships hundreds of ready-to-run simulations across ecology, economics, epidemiology, and social science.
Best for: researchers, educators, and students who need to prototype agent-based models quickly without heavy programming; classroom teaching of complex-systems concepts.
Consider alternatives when you need large-scale performance (millions of agents), Python-ecosystem integration, or GIS-heavy spatial modeling.
NetLogo articles & guides
-
NetLogo BehaviorSpace: Systematic Parameter Sweeps and Experiment Design for Agent-Based Models
NetLogo's BehaviorSpace framework enables rigorous, reproducible parameter sweeps across agent-based models by automating factorial experiment execution, multi-core parallel runs, and structured CSV output. This article examines BehaviorSpace's experiment definition syntax, measurement strategies, parallel execution options, and integration with Python and R for downstream sensitivity analysis. From coarse exploration sweeps to Latin Hypercube designs, BehaviorSpace transforms NetLogo into a production-grade scientific instrument for social-system modelers.
-
NetLogo: Agent-Based Modeling for Social Sciences and Complex Systems
Explore NetLogo, the premier agent-based modeling platform that enables researchers to simulate complex social phenomena, behavioral patterns, and emergent systems across diverse scientific disciplines.