SimCity for Real: Can Grid Computing Support Decision-Making within Live Urban Environments?

Mark Birkin
School of Geography,  University of Leeds

Abstract:
Computerised simulation games featuring controlled development of urban environments – such as Utopia, Caesar, and most famously SimCity – have enjoyed massive popularity in recent years.  It is less well-known that these games have clear intellectual and academic roots in both theoretical and policy-oriented studies from the 1950s and 1960s.  Ironically, however, the deployment of city simulation models in academic circles is probably weaker now than it was forty years ago. 

In this presentation I argue that a revival of interest in real simulations for real cities is long overdue.  Furthermore, I will contend that grid computing has a potentially important role to play in this programme, by providing support for collaboration between academics, policy-makers and citizens; by providing integrated and secure access to key data resources; and by providing computational support for the complex microscopic simulations which are required.

This thesis will be illustrated with examples from two demonstrator projects in the UK e-Social Science programme.  Hydra is a decision-support system which facilitates optimised location selection for community health care facilities.  Moses is a descendant of Hydra which aims to simulate the population of an entire nation as a basis for strategic policy analysis and scenario-based foreacasting.