EcoLab	Classdesc	Graphcode	Documentation
SF Project Website	Download	Source Code Repository	AEGIS web interface

EcoLab is both the name of a software package and a research project that is looking at the dynamics of evolution.

EcoLab the software package is now a fairly complete agent-based simulation system, with the following features:

• The model is implemented as a C++ object. Support for more advanced data structures and algorithms are available through C++'s standard library.
• A scripting language TCL can access the model's methods and instance variables, allowing experiments to be set up dynamically at runtime
• The model can be run in GUI mode through the use of Tk and BLT widgets. Various graphs and histogramming tools are available for use.
• The same model can be run in batch mode by using a different script
• The model can be probed dynamically with the object browser
• The model can be saved to a checkpoint file, or transferred periodically over a socket connection to another copy of Ecolab acting as a visualisation client.
• Various types of random number generators are available through the UNURAN library or through the GNUSL.
• A form of SPMD parallel programming is provided through ClassdescMP.
• EcoLab models may also use Graphcode library to implement a distributed network of agents over an MPI-based cluster computer.

EcoLab is now hosted by SourceForge

The official EcoLab code repository is located on my laptop, however SourceForge will be used for:

• official production releases will be available through the SourceForge file release system
• The sourcecode repository is replicated to SourceForge, and available through a Web Interface. If you wish to contribute code to EcoLab, you are welcome to send me a complete tarball of the changed code (provided you identify exactly which delta you started from), or you can set up your own Aegis server, and allow me to pull aedist files from it (you can pull aedist files from my repository using the above mentioned replicated repository on sourceforge).
• Email lists for announcements and member discussion
• Bug tracking

If there is sufficient interest in using the SourceForge SVN system by other developers, then I will consider trying to integrate that with our Aegis system.

EcoLab ABM framework publications

Please use reference 5 to cite EcoLab.

1. Standish, R.K. and Madina, D. (2008) ``Classdesc and Graphcode: support for scientific programming in C++'', arXiv:cs.CE/0610120

2. Standish, R.K. (2008) ``Going Stupid with EcoLab'' submitted to Simulation. arXiv: cs.MA/0612014

3. Standish, R.K. (2008) ``Open Source Agent-based Modelling Frameworks'', Studies in Computational Intelligence, 115, 409-437.

4. Standish, R.K. and Madina, D. (2003) ``ClassdescMP: Easy MPI programming in C++'' in Computational Science, Sloot et al. (eds), LNCS 2660, Springer, 896. arXiv:cs.DC/0401027

5. Standish, R.K. and Leow, R. (2003) ``EcoLab: Agent Based Modeling for C++ programmers'', in Proceedings SwarmFest 2003. arXiv:cs.MA/0401026

6. Leow, R. and Standish, R.K. (2003) ``Running C++ models under the Swarm Environment'', in Proceedings SwarmFest 2003. arXiv:cs.MA/0401025

7. Madina, D. and Standish, R.K. (2001) ``A system for reflection in C++'', in Proceedings AUUG 2001: Always on and Everywhere, 207. ISBN 0957753225 arXiv:cs.PL/0401024

8. Standish, R.K. (2000) ``Ecolab 4'', in Applied Complexity: From Neural Networks to Managed Landscapes Halloy, S. and Williams, T. (eds), (New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research, Christchurch), 156-163.

EcoLab model publications

1. Standish, R.K. (2004) ``Ecolab, Webworld and self-organisation'', in Artificial Life IX, Pollack, J. et al., (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), 358-363. arXiv:nlin.AO/0404011.

2. Standish, R.K. (2002) ``Diversity Evolution'' in Artificial Life VIII, Standish, RK, Bedau, MA and Abbass, HA (eds) (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), 131-137. arXiv:nlin.AO/0210026

3. Standish, R.K. (2000) ``An Ecolab Perspective on the Bedau Evolutionary Statistics'', in Proceedings Artificial Life VII, Bedau, M.A. et al. (eds), (MIT Press: Cambridge, Mass.), 238-242. arXiv:nlin.AO/0004026

4. Standish, R.K. (2000) ``The Role of Innovation within Economics'', in Commerce, Complexity and Evolution, Barnett, W. et al (eds) (Cambridge University Press, New York), pp61-79. arXiv:nlin.AO/0007005

5. Standish, R.K. (1999) ``Statistics of Certain Models of Evolution'', Phys. Rev. E, 59 1545-1550. arXiv:physics/9806046

6. Standish, R.K. (1998) ``Cellular Ecolab'', in Complex Systems '98, Standish et. al. (eds) (Complexity Online) and and Complexity International , 6.

7. Standish, R.K. (1996) ``Ecolab: Where to now?'' in Complex Systems: From Local Interactions to Global Phenomena, R. Stocker, H. Jelinek, B. Durnota and T. Bossomeier (IOS: Amsterdam) 1996, p262-271. also Complexity International , 3.

8. Standish, R.K. (1994) ``Population models with Random Embryologies as a Paradigm for Evolution'', in Complex Systems: Mechanism of Adaption, R.J. Stonier and X.H. Yu (eds), p45-51 (IOS:Amsterdam). also Complexity International , 2.