Using agent models and data farming to explore network centric operations

Network centric operations are difficult to quantify in many respects with models or other methods. Data farming is a methodology and capability that makes use of high performance computing to run models many times. In the case of agent-based models that are relatively small, many runs can be performed in a short period of time. This capability gives modelers and their clients the enhanced ability to discover trends and outliers in results in a variety of areas. In this paper the authors discuss some notional efforts to begin to explore questions in the area of network centric operations using the agent model MANA and data farming. By observing the network behaviors and the output for traditional and information age warfare, we have created comparisons that illustrate when networked forces outfight non-networked forces.