Data visualization methods for simulation modeling of agent behavioral expression

• US 7,630,874 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seaseer Research and Development LLC
• Original Assignee: Seaseer Research and Development LLC
• Inventors: Fables, Wylci, Colt, Jonathan, Park, Jore
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thangavelu; Kandasamy
• Application Number:
  US11/846,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 703/13, 703/6, 434/322, 434/157, 434/118, 345/706, 705/10, 705/36, 706/60, 707/104.1, 700/2, 717/104, 378/210, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A computer simulation method is provided for modeling the behavioral expression of one or more agents in an environment to be simulated, then running a simulation of the modeled agent(s) against real-world information as input data reflecting changing conditions of the environment being simulated, and obtaining an output based on the modeled agent(s) response(s). The simulation method models the underlying cultural, social, and behavioral characteristics on which agent behaviors and actions are based, rather than modeling fixed rules for the agent'"'"'s actions. The input data driving the simulation are constituted by real-world information reflecting the changing conditions of the environment being simulated, rather than an artificial set of predefined initial conditions which do not change over time. As a result, the simulation output of the modeled agent'"'"'s responses to the input information can indicate more accurately how that type of participant in the simulated environment might respond under real-world conditions. Simulations can be run on global networks for agent types of different cultures, societies, and behaviors, with global sources of information. Simulation environments can include problems and situations in a wide range of human activity. Robust new visual tools are provided for discerning patterns and trends in the simulation data, including waveform charts, star charts, grid charts, and pole chart series.

Claims

1. A data visualization method for use in a computer simulation of response of a computerized agent archetype of behavioral expression to real-world input data, comprising:

(a) modeling the behavioral expression of an agent as an archetype of behavioral characteristics corresponding to likely responses to real-world input data as measured across a plurality of predetermined scales of agent perception,

(i) wherein said scales represent respective pre-defined behavioral modalities of agent perception across a given perceptual range;

(ii) wherein each of said scales is graded into a plurality of levels of resolution ranging from most abstract to the agent to least abstract to the agent;

(iii) wherein said agent archetypal behavioral expression is modeled as an expected progression in sequence across a selected series of scales according to a particular mode of progression uniquely representing the agent'"'"'s archetypal behavior, and includes an associative data matrix comprising a list of keywords for each scale of the selected series of scales that are deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s archetype of perception on each such scale of perception, and each keyword of the list for each scale being rated for a level of resolution on which the keyword is deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s perception on that scale;

(b) running a computer simulation of an agent'"'"'s modeled behavioral expression against input text data from real-world information sources, and tracking the numbers and levels of matches of keywords in the input text data to the associative data matrix of keywords for the chosen series of scales, and

(c) providing a visual display of a pattern of responses of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression using the numbers and levels of keyword matches and their progression in the selected series of scales as a visualization of computer simulation data uniquely representing the response of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression to the real-world input data,

wherein said plurality of scales of agent perception is defined across a perceptual (1) range of most internal to the agent to most external to the agent;

(2) range of smallest area of agent perception to largest are of agent perception; and

(3) range of most temporal to the agent to most enduring to the agent.

2. A data visualization method according to claim 1, wherein the real-world input data include data from one or more real-world information sources of the group consisting of:

news sources;

broadcast media;

communications and interactions between participants;

publicly available information;

information sources available to selected agents;

information sources available to selected organizations;

analyst reports;

reviews;

search data;

general literature;

movies;

images;

sound; and

other human perceptual data.

3. A data visualization method according to claim 1, wherein the agent archetype selected to be run in a computer simulation includes one or more agent types from the group consisting of:

member of an organization;

position within an organization;

leader or node within an organization;

follower within an organization;

competitor to an organization;

enduring influence in a given cultural environment;

domain knowledge in a given cultural environment;

terrain knowledge in a given cultural environment;

society;

organization; and

institution.

4. A data visualization method according to claim 1, wherein the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression is defined in terms of expected agent behavioral responses to keywords expected to be encountered in real-world text data from a given information source.

5. A data visualization method according to claim 1, wherein for each scale the levels of resolution are defined according to levels of intensity of expected agent responses.

6. data visualization method according to claim 5, wherein each level is graded according to a plurality of degrees of influence of agent responses.

7. A data visualization method according to claim 1, wherein a computer simulation proceeds by filtering the real-world input data for keywords matching those of the associative data matrix, and the matched keywords are tracked as a progression across the selected series of scales by linking keyword matches across scales.

8. A data visualization method for use in a computer simulation of response of a computerized agent archetype of behavioral expression to real-world input data, comprising:

(a) modeling the behavioral expression of an agent as an archetype of behavioral characteristics corresponding to likely responses to real-world input data as measured across a plurality of predetermined scales of agent perception,

(i) wherein said scales represent respective pre-defined behavioral modalities of agent perception across a given perceptual range;

(ii) wherein each of said scales is graded into a plurality of levels of resolution ranging from most abstract to the agent to least abstract to the agent;

(iii) wherein said agent archetypal behavioral expression is modeled as an expected progression in sequence across a selected series of scales according to a particular mode of progression uniquely representing the agent'"'"'s archetypal behavior, and includes an associative data matrix comprising a list of keywords for each scale of the selected series of scales that are deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s archetype of perception on each such scale of perception, and each keyword of the list for each scale being rated for a level of resolution on which the keyword is deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s perception on that scale;

(b) running a computer simulation of an agent'"'"'s modeled behavioral expression against input text data from real-world information sources, and tracking the numbers and levels of matches of keywords in the input text data to the associative data matrix of keywords for the chosen series of scales, and

(c) providing a visual display of a pattern of responses of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression using the numbers and levels of keyword matches and their progression in the selected series of scales as a visualization of computer simulation data uniquely representing the response of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression to the real-world input data,

wherein said plurality of scales of agent perception includes one or more scales of the group consisting of;

Scale of agent'"'"'s consciousness or awareness of information that may be of interest;

Scale of agent'"'"'s navigation patterns, including the impulse to move in a particular direction, emotional patterns of the agent, or modes of categorizing and assigning labels to information items;

Scale of agent'"'"'s actions and reactions (including emotions) or intuition on a sense level to information;

Scale of information mulling modes by which the agent retains a reservoir of information minutia and creates associations between information items;

Scale of agent'"'"'s employment of personal information filters and contextual memory for extracting meaning based on the agent'"'"'s experience, and the roles they play;

Scale of agent'"'"'s employment of culturally-based filters, environmental assumptions and conditions, and/or social influences to extract meaning from information items;

Scale of agent'"'"'s learned modes of extracting meaning from externally presented information through media channels, news of events, images and portraits, current priorities, and other external phenomena, that may cause them to put medium or long term processes into effect or influence a particular response as typical;

Scale of agent'"'"'s learned or enduring knowledge of the environment he/she is involved in, its history, and its trends into the future;

Scale of agent'"'"'s complex of deeply held beliefs (including religion) and cultural or archetypal values; and

Scale of agent'"'"'s world view or overriding ethos through which all things, from the cosmos down to abstract minutia, are perceived.

9. A data visualization method for use in a computer simulation of response of a computerized agent archetype of behavioral expression to real-world input data, comprising:

(a) modeling the behavioral expression of an agent as an archetype of behavioral characteristics corresponding to likely responses to real-world input data as measured across a plurality of predetermined scales of agent perception,

(i) wherein said scales represent respective pre-defined behavioral modalities of agent perception across a given perceptual range;

(ii) wherein each of said scales is graded into a plurality of levels of resolution ranging from most abstract to the agent to least abstract to the agent;

(iii) wherein said agent archetypal behavioral expression is modeled as an expected progression in sequence across a selected series of scales according to a particular mode of progression uniquely representing the agent'"'"'s archetypal behavior, and includes an associative data matrix comprising a list of keywords for each scale of the selected series of scales that are deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s archetype of perception on each such scale of perception, and each keyword of the list for each scale being rated for a level of resolution on which the keyword is deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s perception on that scale;

(b) running a computer simulation of an agent'"'"'s modeled behavioral expression against input text data from real-world information sources, and tracking the numbers and levels of matches of keywords in the input text data to the associative data matrix of keywords for the chosen series of scales, and

(c) providing a visual display of a pattern of responses of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression using the numbers and levels of keyword matches and their progression in the selected series of scales as a visualization of computer simulation data uniquely representing the response of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression to the real-world input data,

wherein the visual display is one of the group consisting of;

(i) a waveform chart displaying the frequency of keyword matches of the input text;

(ii) a star chart displaying patterns of traversal of keyword matches across the chosen series of scales for anent behavioral expression in response to the input text;

(iii) a grid chart displaying the patterns of traversal of keyword matches across the chosen series of scales for anent behavioral expression in response to the input text;

(iv) a pole chart displaying the patterns of traversal of keyword matches across the chosen series of scales for agent behavioral expression in response to the input text.

10. A data visualization display from a computer simulation of response of a computerized agent archetype of behavioral expression to real-world input data, comprising:

a visual display of a pattern of responses of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression to keyword matches and their progression in a selected series of scales of agent perception uniquely representing the response of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression to the real-world input data,

(a) wherein said scales represent respective pre-defined behavioral modalities of agent perception across a given perceptual range;

(b) wherein each of said scales is graded into a plurality of levels of resolution ranging from most abstract to the agent to least abstract to the agent;

(c) wherein said agent archetypal behavioral expression is modeled as an expected progression in sequence across a selected series of scales according to a particular mode of progression uniquely representing the agent'"'"'s archetypal behavior, and includes an associative data matrix comprising a list of keywords for each scale of the selected series of scales that are deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s archetype of perception on each such scale of perception, and each keyword of the list for each scale being rated for a level of resolution on which the keyword is deemed likely to have an influence on the agent'"'"'s perception on that scale; and

(d) wherein said visual display of the pattern of responses of the agent'"'"'s archetype of behavioral expression is derived from a computer simulation of the agent'"'"'s modeled behavioral expression to input text data from real-world information sources, and is one of the group consisting of;

(i) a waveform chart displaying the frequency of keyword matches of the input text;

(ii) a star chart displaying patterns of traversal of keyword matches across the chosen series of scales for agent behavioral expression in response to the input text;

(iii) a grid chart displaying the patterns of traversal of keyword matches across the chosen series of scales for agent behavioral expression in response to the input text;

(iv) a pole chart displaying the patterns of traversal of keyword matches across the chosen series of scales for agent behavioral expression in response to the input text.

11. A data visualization display according to claim 10, wherein said visual display is a pole chart which comprises a series of vertical poles representing the selected series of scales, and the levels of resolution are defined in increments spanning each vertical pole, and the markers are horizontal segments positioned across a range of left-right positions on any given level of a vertical pole corresponding to frequency of keyword matches on each such level, whereby said vertical poles and horizontal marker segments provide a visual display of a behavioral DNA chart.