Modeling cognitive radio networks in NetLogo
Jacek Dzikowski, Cynthia S. Hood · 2015
Cognitive radio exhibits features typical to complex adaptive systems. As such, it requires multidisciplinary research, which can be difficult without a common An accessible experimentation platform, a playground, could serve as that language. Unfortunately, commonly used wireless network simulators are too esoteric for non-specialists and offer very little in support of cognitive radio studies. Agent-based modeling provides a viable alternative that we successfully tested in the past by building a framework in RePast. This work presents a simpler, entry-level, version developed in NetLogo, an accessible and popular platform that allows users to quickly learn the agent-based approach. Our NetLogo model is simple, but flexible enough to conduct a wide range of experiments. Its usefulness was confirmed in classroom and research group settings, where we were able to explain basics of agent-based modeling, demonstrate basics of complexity, and run interactive cognitive radio experiments without extensive training.