An introduction to programming ABM simulations with the Julia language

Organizer:

Przemysław Szufel, SGH Warsaw School of Economics

Description:

The Julia language was designed to address typical challenges faced when working with computationally intensive numerical models. With syntax similar to Python and Matlab, Julia supports an efficient and convenient development process. However, programs developed in Julia boast performance comparable to C++. This speed can be further increased by built-in mechanisms for parallel computing, making it an ideal tool for scientific computing and running large-scale simulations.

The goal of this 3-hour intensive workshop is to offer a quick hands-on introduction to the Julia language, enabling participants to begin using it for their research. The workshop assumes no prior knowledge of Julia. We will start with an introductory overview of the Julia language. Next, we will explore specific language features that are useful in numerical models. Following this, we will present a use-case scenario demonstrating how to build agent-based simulation models in Julia. Additionally, we will showcase how simulations can be executed in a spatial setting using real-world city maps from the OpenStreetMap project. Finally, we will briefly demonstrate how straightforward it is to run Julia models at scale using parallel and distributed computing. Approximately one week before the workshop a link with installation instructions will be provided.