MASON (Java)
| Company type | Open source software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Simulation software |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Evolutionary Computation Laboratory, George Mason University |
| Headquarters | Fairfax , United States |
| Products | Multi-agent simulation platform |
| Website | github |
MASON is a multi-agent simulation platform created using the Java programming language.
Development
The Evolutionary Computation Laboratory at George Mason University, in collaboration with the GMU Center for Social Complexity, is responsible for MASON's development. Since its inception in 2003, the project has been continuously supported and updated. The acronym Multi-Agent Simulator Of Neighborhoods (or Networks) highlights its academic roots.
Originally, MASON was available on Java.net, then transitioned to Google Code, and is presently hosted on GitHub for ongoing maintenance.
Designed to prioritize ease of use and high performance, MASON serves as a more compact alternative compared to larger agent-based simulation frameworks.
Applets
Among the applets MASON supports are implementations like Craig Reynolds' Boids algorithm, Balls and Bands which models Hooke's law, an L-system generator, Conway's Game of Life, Sugarscape, and systems for autonomous multi-robot coordination.
MASON also offers integration with the Eclipse Integrated development environment, enhancing the development process.