Development of a hybrid computational model - agent-based and discrete event simulation - for evaluation and planning of animal production: an application in the sheep production

• Grant number: 12/10841-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Augusto Hauber Gameiro
• Grantee: Thayla Sara Soares Stivari Reijers
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is currently one of the most powerful analysis tools available for planning, design and control of complex systems and is being used increasingly widespread and mainly due to the emergence of specific software. Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) is a relatively new approach to modeling complex systems, which are composed by independent agents who have specific behaviors - commonly described by simple rules, and interacts with other agents - influencing their behavior. There is large and growing scientific interest in knowing the overall behavior of the systems such as these, but they offer great difficulty of treatment with traditional modeling approaches. The ABS has facilitated the process of modeling and reaped successes in applications occurred in a variety of activities of interest organizations, government and academia. Its application in livestock is modest and often limited the spread of diseases and animal behavior. The use of hybrid models allows the inclusion of several levels of abstraction, where, for example, low abstraction is necessary to perform processes - DES, and the inclusion of some abstraction is interesting when modeling the behavior and interaction between agents - ABS. In the literature, we can find several works to validate the applicability of both techniques, particularly in the areas of production engineering and management (DS) and social sciences and economics (ABS). Within the agricultural sector, publications are recent and modest, but are in development at universities around the world. When dealing with the national livestock production itself, the work of both methodologies are rare and more specific, in sheep industry, are nonexistent. The sheep industry is relatively new in the Southeast of Brazil, and technological advances also are, there is no well defined production standards. For this, the use of computer simulation can contribute in order to know the possible outcomes of different combinations available technology. Consequently, the development of a simulator for livestock is also justified by the fact that it can support the research, mainly in order to estimate the socioeconomic impact of the same in the activity and / or society. Thus, the main objective of this work is to develop a tool based on discrete event simulation models and simulation-based agents, which enables the planning and management of production of cutting sheep systems.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

REIJERS, Thayla Sara Soares Stivari. Development of hybrid computational model - agent based and discrete event simulation - for evaluation and planning of animal production: an application in the sheep meat industry. 2016. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD) Pirassununga.