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Gabriel Wurzer

Tu Wien, Institute of Architectural Science Digital Architecture and Planning, Department Member

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I am a researcher and lecturer at the Vienna University of Technology. My work is focusing on agent-based simulation in Netlogo, both for architectural science and understanding research policy. Apart from that, I am teaching programming and digital tools for architects and urban planners. I am also excited to participate in simulation for archaeology, which I conduct together with the Natural History Museum Vienna, especially for the Hallstatt excavation site.

Before going into full-time research, I have also been working on the Electronic Health Record of Lower Austria (NÖ-ELGA) and been in Healthcare IT. I have a degree in Computer Science (Dipl.-Ing.), a PhD in Architecture from Vienna UT, which is where I have also conducted my habilitation thesis on "Agent-Based Simulation for Early-Stage Planning of Complex Buildings" (Priv. Dozent).
Phone: +43 650 966 21 55
Address: Vienna UT, Treitlstrasse 3/1st Floor

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Syamsul Rizal Abd Shukor

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Cristina Bicchieri

University of Pennsylvania

Michael Fourman

University of Edinburgh

Politecnico di Milano

Pompeu Fabra University

Duke University

The University of Queensland, Australia

Università di Bologna

Patrick Lowenthal

Boise State University

Field Museum

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Papers by Gabriel Wurzer

Personal Health Systems for Bipolar Disorder Anecdotes, Challenges and Lessons Learnt from MONARCA Project

Proceedings of the ICTs for improving Patients Rehabilitation Research Techniques, 2013

This paper presents the lessons learnt on the design, development and evaluation of a pervasive c... more This paper presents the lessons learnt on the design, development and evaluation of a pervasive computing-based system for supporting the treatment of bipolar disorder. The findings presented here are the result of over 3 years of activity within the MONARCA EU project. The challenges listed and detailed in this paper may be used in future research as a set of relevant checklist items in the development of innovative solutions for mental health treatment and in a broader way for future research on personal health systems.

The PASSt Project: Predictive Analytics and Simulation of Studies aimed at Quality Management and Curriculum Planning

Quality management has become a crucial factor for improving student success, with reporting bein... more Quality management has become a crucial factor for improving student success, with reporting being widely used to scrutinize curricula for possible bottlenecks and resource deficiencies. Predictive capabilities in that context have, however, been often limited to simple regression models acting on historical data, which might not always be available when curricula change often; furthermore, work in curricular planning often demands "what if"scenarios that are beyond extrapolation, such as determining the influence of changes in procedure on student success, which in itself is based on a multitude of intertwined factors such as social background and individual performance. In the PASSt project, we have been using Machine Learning and Agent-Based Simulation for Predictive Analytics in that sense. As a result, we have been developing an extensive toolset for curriculum planning which we want to outline in this paper, together with some lessons learned in that process. Our work will help practitioners in higher education quality management implement similar methods at their institutions, with all said benefits.

PASSt-A: Agent-based student analytics aimed at improved feasibility and study success

IFAC-PapersOnLine, 2022

Impact by Designing: Proceedings of the 3rd ARENA Annual Conference

DAttE - Detection of Attic Extensions - Workflow to analyze the potentials of roofs in an urban environment

eCAADe proceedings, 2021

European cities like Vienna are characterized by strong growth and, as a result, by high demand f... more European cities like Vienna are characterized by strong growth and, as a result, by high demand for living space. Extending the attic is one way of meeting this demand. However, there is a lack of data to know which roofs are already expanded and to what extent. The city is interested in the data in two ways: firstly, in relation to the distribution of potentials (a possible change in population density, for example, has an impact on infrastructure and parking space) and, secondly, in relation to the material composition (city as a material resource). This paper provides a workflow to fill this gap of knowledge. The new methods of detecting attic extensions are described and a case study is given at the end to show workability.

Options for obtaining a 'Gründerzeit' flat - A wet dream explored by means of a Cellular Automata model

Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) [Volume 2]

This work explores the dichotomy between old areas offering high-quality living in a low-density ... more This work explores the dichotomy between old areas offering high-quality living in a low-density neighborhood (typically near the city center) and newly-developed areas with high-density and lesser quality in the suburbs. It especially addresses the scarcity of rentable`Gründerzeit' flats in Vienna/Austria which have a ceiling height of 3.40m and date back to the mid-19th century. Other European cities have the same problem-supply of old properties perceived as offering a high quality of living does not meet the demand, which leads to high rent prices. The authors have captured the current situation of the housing market using Cellular Automaton (CA) rules; their main contribution lies in the exploration of three additional rules that seek to improve the availability of old (i.e.`Gründerzeit') flats.

Structuring of Teaching and Learning Situations in Architectural Education - Using and Integrating Digital Analysis within Interactive Genetic Algorithms

Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) [Volume 1]

FRACAM: A 2.5D Fractal Analysis Method for Facades - Test Environment for a Cell Phone Application to Measure Box Counting Dimension

eCAADe proceedings

Fractal analysis helps explaining and understanding architectural quality, e.g., regarding visual... more Fractal analysis helps explaining and understanding architectural quality, e.g., regarding visual complexity described by fractal (box counting) dimension. FRACAM, a cell phone application, uses fractal image analysis methods and takes into account the specific requirements of architectural purposes at the same time. It was developed by the authors to measure the fractal dimension of buildings; more precisely, to measure (color or grayscale) images of (street) views. This paper examines the results of various implemented algorithms for dependencies on camera settings and environmental factors. The main contribution of the authors deals with both an improved differential box counting mechanism applied to color images and a discussion about measurement results concerning influences on the algorithms presented.

FLA„VIZ in the rezoning process - A Web Application to visualize alternatives of land-use planning

CAADRIA proceedings

The rezoning process primarily deals with proposed changes on land-use and zoning plans. More and... more The rezoning process primarily deals with proposed changes on land-use and zoning plans. More and more often, the public is asked for its opinion and feedback. However, there are two main obstacles in today&#39;s practice: On the one hand land-use and zoning plans, in general, only define the potential of areas and so do proposed draft plans; they usually say nothing about the implementation of land-use in the built space. On the other hand, the untrained majority can hardly grasp the current form of representation as two dimensional plans with accompanying written information. In order to enable a wider public participation (and understanding), the authors present FLÄVIZ, a 3D visualization of potentials on land-use and zoning plans.

Design= Production

SimSchool - Optimierung der Abläufe in Schulbauten

Der Zustand bzw. die Entwicklungen des Bildungssystems sind gegenwärtig eines der Hauptthemen des... more Der Zustand bzw. die Entwicklungen des Bildungssystems sind gegenwärtig eines der Hauptthemen des öffentlichen Diskurses. Gerade in Österreich handelt es sich dabei um ein wichtiges Thema, da sich das Bildungswesen derzeit in einer Phase des Um- bzw. Aufbruchs befindet. Mit politischen Reformen wird auf die Vielzahl neuer Erkenntnisse bezüglich Pädagogik und Lernverhalten reagiert, die sich in den letzten Jahren herauskristallisiert haben. Der Architektur kommt im Zuge dieser Reformierungen die Aufgabe und Möglichkeit zu, durch Überprüfung bestehender, sowie Entwicklung neuer Schultypen als Reaktion auf die geänderten Anforderungen, am Diskurs teilzunehmen und diesen voranzutreiben. Diese Diplomarbeit setzt sich mit den aktuellen Tendenzen der Schulplanung, angefangen von städtebaulichen Aspekten, über Nutzungsneutralität und Erweiterbarkeit bis hin zu den Abläufen innerhalb eines Schulgebäudes auseinander. Ziel ist die Entwicklung eines Simulations-gestützten Hilfsprogramms zur Unt...

CARE 2 Conference for Artistic and Architectural (Doctoral) Research CARE 2 CONFERENCE FOR ARTI STIC AND ARCHI TECTURAL (DOCTORAL) RESEARCH Scientific Committee Organizing Committee ProceeDings Web Editor Layout Designer Introduction to presentations Lunch Panel Members Index of Authors C A R E 2

Editor-in-Chief

use cases in sparse architectural data exchange,

Agent-based Modeling for the Bronze Age Salt Mine of Hallstatt (Upper Austria)

The existing archeological model of the Bronze Age salt mines in Hallstatt (Upper Austria) leaves... more The existing archeological model of the Bronze Age salt mines in Hallstatt (Upper Austria) leaves some important questions open: What was the size of the mining area, how long did mining activities proceed, what was the amount of mined salt, how big was the size of the mining community. This is regrettable, since answers to these questions would provide important insights into the economic and social history of prehistoric Europe. By using agent-based modeling (ABM), we have translated the body of theories conceptualizing the mining complex into a simulation. As a matter of fact, we could check the consistency of the existing archeological knowledge and obtain answers to the aforementioned questions using computation. We are convinced that our solution can be taken as powerful tool for the analysis of complex production as well as for explorative computation of working processes.

Data independent model structure for simulation within Vienna UT more space project

The Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing at Vienna University of Technology (Vienna UT... more The Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing at Vienna University of Technology (Vienna UT) has created models to simulate lecture room reservations, in order to test strategies for increasing the efficiency of utilisation, increasing booking fairness and perceived capacity without need to add more lecture rooms. Thus, the produced system had to satisfy some tough constraints: (1.) It had to be flexible and multifunctional, meaning that a dynamic code structure was needed so that program logic could depend on the imported data, but simulation algorithms would stay data-independent. (2.) The presentation logic had to be customized to fit the usability needs of the client, who would perform the simulation experiments himself. To report on both programming techniques and architectural decisions that enabled us to achieve these constraints is thus the main goal of this paper.

Falsification by Modelling and Simulation for Investigations in Hallstatt Archaeology

SNE Simulation Notes Europe, Sep 1, 2018

The prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt in Austria are subject of great interest for archaeologis... more The prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt in Austria are subject of great interest for archaeologists. Salt mining activities are dated to 1458-1245 B.C. in the Bronze Age. Modelling and simulation as virtual computational experimental archaeology' can contribute important insights into different areas of archaeology as an addition to traditional experimental methods. In a cooperative project between the Natural History Museum Vienna and the TU Wien, questions regarding prehistoric mining processes, logistic processes, and population growth in the agricultural environment are analysed by modelling and simulation. This contribution presents simulation studies, which allow to study short-term mining processes and long-term population dynamics and agricultural working processes. Moreover, essentially, the simulation studies allow also excluding cases for these working processes. This fact underlines a special property of simulation in the area of archaeology: while classical modelling and simulation aims for verification of a certain assumptions, modelling and simulation in archaeology partly aims for falsification of assumptions of working processes or other historic events.

Agent-based Modelling and Simulation for Population Dynamics under Agricultural Constraints in Prehistoric Hallstatt: Hints for a Second Settlement

SNE Simulation Notes Europe, Mar 1, 2016

This contribution is an outcome of a project cooperation between the Museum of Natural History Vi... more This contribution is an outcome of a project cooperation between the Museum of Natural History Vienna and the Vienna University of Technology. The museum investigates since many years the prehistoric salt mines in Hallstatt, Austria, by classical archaeological methods, by experimental archaeology, and by modelling and simulation, which partly ca be seen as virtual experimental archaeology. This contribution continues investigations on modelling agricultural constraints for population size in prehistoric Hallstatt, presented in a previous conference publication. As modelling and simulation approach agent-based simulation is used, as well for the mining process, and for the supply including food production, and for the environment. First, the supply for the mining process is studied. The main focus is on the food production and its time consumption which is needed to feed all people working and living in prehistoric Hallstatt. This time consumption consists at one hand of the actual time used for seeding, mowing and harvesting and on the other hand more importantly of the time used for traveling to the fields and harvesting the goods. To simulate the traveling time an A* algorithm is used, also for the traveling time needed for the miners to get to the mine. Also the supply process of felling and transporting trees to the mine as well as chipping the wood to produce wood chips for lighting purposes is part of the simulation. Experiments with the model try to localize suitable areas for the prehistoric Hallstatt village with interesting outcome: the simulation 'suggests' a subdivision of the population into a village near the mine and another village at the location of today's Hallstatt.

The RITaK Conferences. 2013-2014: Raw Materials, Innovation, Technology of Ancient Cultures - RITaK 1

Der Anschnitt, Beihefte

Globally, raw materials play a central role and are a key factor in determining the economic powe... more Globally, raw materials play a central role and are a key factor in determining the economic power and growth of modern states, confederations and coalitions. The extraction and supply of raw materials is a main driving force in global trade today, but has also profoundly influenced human economic and cultural history. In order to elucidate the importance of mineral ores in pre-modern societies, PhD students and staff at the Leibniz graduate school “Raw Materials, Innovation and Technology of Ancient Cultures” [RITaK] – a co-operation between the German Mining Museum [Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, DBM] and the Ruhr-University Bochum [RUB] – were involved in interdisciplinary research. This publication contains the results of the international RITaK end-of-project conference, held from the 27th-29th of September, as well as contributions to the RITaK workshop “Perspectives for an Economic Archaeology”, held on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2013. At a theoretical and model-building level,...

NoMoTown - An agent-based model of transport mode choice

eCAADe proceedings

In most cities, cars remain the dominant mode of transport. This is a huge problem not only becau... more In most cities, cars remain the dominant mode of transport. This is a huge problem not only because of obvious effects such as congestion and pollution, but also because it causes health issues for commuters themselves which lead to further costs for the community. In our work, we have developed an agent-based simulation which offers mitigation strategies and tries to propose realistic lines of action for transport modes to more sustainable modes. Our approach can import from GIS or (raster) maps, thus acting as a planning tool for urban planners and city administrators; we also included the possibility for generating theoretical / idealized cities, as a testbed and theoretical tool for instructing policy makers. Our goal is to find an equilibrium between individual freedom in transport choice, financial effort required for maintaining the overall transport system and the health of the whole population.

M-DAB - Towards re-using material resources of the city

eCAADe proceedings

If we strive for a decarbonized future, we need to think of buildings within a city as resources ... more If we strive for a decarbonized future, we need to think of buildings within a city as resources that can be re-used rather than being disposed of. Together with considerations on refurbishment options and future building materials, this gives a decision field for stakeholders which depends on the current``building stock&#39;&#39;-the set of pre-existing buildings which are characterized e.g. by building period, location and material composition. Changes in that context are hard to argue for since (1.) some depend on statistics, other (2.) on the concrete neighborhood and thus the space in which buildings are embedded, yet again others on (3.) future extrapolations again dealing with both of the aforementioned environments. To date, there exists no tool that can handle this back-and-forth between different abstraction levels and horizons in time; nor is it possible to pursue such an endeavor without a proper framework. Which is why the authors of this paper are aiming to provide one, giving a model of change in the context of re-using material resource of the city, when faced with numerous abstraction levels (spatial or abstract; past, current or future) which have feedback loops between them. The paper focuses on a concrete case study in the city of Vienna, however, chances are high that this will apply to every other building stock throughout the world if enough data is available. As a matter of fact, this approach will ensure that argumentation can happen on multiple levels (spatial, statistical, past, now and future) but keeps its focus on making the building stock of a city a resource for sustainable development. Keywords: material reuse, sustainability, waste reduction, Design and computation of urban and local systems-XS to XL, Health and materials in architecture and cities D1.T2.S1. HEALTH AND MATERIALS IN ARCHITECTURE AND CITIES-Volume 1-eCAADe 38 | 127

Personal Health Systems for Bipolar Disorder Anecdotes, Challenges and Lessons Learnt from MONARCA Project

Proceedings of the ICTs for improving Patients Rehabilitation Research Techniques, 2013

This paper presents the lessons learnt on the design, development and evaluation of a pervasive c... more This paper presents the lessons learnt on the design, development and evaluation of a pervasive computing-based system for supporting the treatment of bipolar disorder. The findings presented here are the result of over 3 years of activity within the MONARCA EU project. The challenges listed and detailed in this paper may be used in future research as a set of relevant checklist items in the development of innovative solutions for mental health treatment and in a broader way for future research on personal health systems.

The PASSt Project: Predictive Analytics and Simulation of Studies aimed at Quality Management and Curriculum Planning

Quality management has become a crucial factor for improving student success, with reporting bein... more Quality management has become a crucial factor for improving student success, with reporting being widely used to scrutinize curricula for possible bottlenecks and resource deficiencies. Predictive capabilities in that context have, however, been often limited to simple regression models acting on historical data, which might not always be available when curricula change often; furthermore, work in curricular planning often demands "what if"scenarios that are beyond extrapolation, such as determining the influence of changes in procedure on student success, which in itself is based on a multitude of intertwined factors such as social background and individual performance. In the PASSt project, we have been using Machine Learning and Agent-Based Simulation for Predictive Analytics in that sense. As a result, we have been developing an extensive toolset for curriculum planning which we want to outline in this paper, together with some lessons learned in that process. Our work will help practitioners in higher education quality management implement similar methods at their institutions, with all said benefits.

PASSt-A: Agent-based student analytics aimed at improved feasibility and study success

IFAC-PapersOnLine, 2022

Impact by Designing: Proceedings of the 3rd ARENA Annual Conference

DAttE - Detection of Attic Extensions - Workflow to analyze the potentials of roofs in an urban environment

eCAADe proceedings, 2021

European cities like Vienna are characterized by strong growth and, as a result, by high demand f... more European cities like Vienna are characterized by strong growth and, as a result, by high demand for living space. Extending the attic is one way of meeting this demand. However, there is a lack of data to know which roofs are already expanded and to what extent. The city is interested in the data in two ways: firstly, in relation to the distribution of potentials (a possible change in population density, for example, has an impact on infrastructure and parking space) and, secondly, in relation to the material composition (city as a material resource). This paper provides a workflow to fill this gap of knowledge. The new methods of detecting attic extensions are described and a case study is given at the end to show workability.

Options for obtaining a 'Gründerzeit' flat - A wet dream explored by means of a Cellular Automata model

Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) [Volume 2]

This work explores the dichotomy between old areas offering high-quality living in a low-density ... more This work explores the dichotomy between old areas offering high-quality living in a low-density neighborhood (typically near the city center) and newly-developed areas with high-density and lesser quality in the suburbs. It especially addresses the scarcity of rentable`Gründerzeit' flats in Vienna/Austria which have a ceiling height of 3.40m and date back to the mid-19th century. Other European cities have the same problem-supply of old properties perceived as offering a high quality of living does not meet the demand, which leads to high rent prices. The authors have captured the current situation of the housing market using Cellular Automaton (CA) rules; their main contribution lies in the exploration of three additional rules that seek to improve the availability of old (i.e.`Gründerzeit') flats.

Structuring of Teaching and Learning Situations in Architectural Education - Using and Integrating Digital Analysis within Interactive Genetic Algorithms

Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) [Volume 1]

FRACAM: A 2.5D Fractal Analysis Method for Facades - Test Environment for a Cell Phone Application to Measure Box Counting Dimension

eCAADe proceedings

Fractal analysis helps explaining and understanding architectural quality, e.g., regarding visual... more Fractal analysis helps explaining and understanding architectural quality, e.g., regarding visual complexity described by fractal (box counting) dimension. FRACAM, a cell phone application, uses fractal image analysis methods and takes into account the specific requirements of architectural purposes at the same time. It was developed by the authors to measure the fractal dimension of buildings; more precisely, to measure (color or grayscale) images of (street) views. This paper examines the results of various implemented algorithms for dependencies on camera settings and environmental factors. The main contribution of the authors deals with both an improved differential box counting mechanism applied to color images and a discussion about measurement results concerning influences on the algorithms presented.

FLA„VIZ in the rezoning process - A Web Application to visualize alternatives of land-use planning

CAADRIA proceedings

The rezoning process primarily deals with proposed changes on land-use and zoning plans. More and... more The rezoning process primarily deals with proposed changes on land-use and zoning plans. More and more often, the public is asked for its opinion and feedback. However, there are two main obstacles in today&#39;s practice: On the one hand land-use and zoning plans, in general, only define the potential of areas and so do proposed draft plans; they usually say nothing about the implementation of land-use in the built space. On the other hand, the untrained majority can hardly grasp the current form of representation as two dimensional plans with accompanying written information. In order to enable a wider public participation (and understanding), the authors present FLÄVIZ, a 3D visualization of potentials on land-use and zoning plans.

Design= Production

SimSchool - Optimierung der Abläufe in Schulbauten

Der Zustand bzw. die Entwicklungen des Bildungssystems sind gegenwärtig eines der Hauptthemen des... more Der Zustand bzw. die Entwicklungen des Bildungssystems sind gegenwärtig eines der Hauptthemen des öffentlichen Diskurses. Gerade in Österreich handelt es sich dabei um ein wichtiges Thema, da sich das Bildungswesen derzeit in einer Phase des Um- bzw. Aufbruchs befindet. Mit politischen Reformen wird auf die Vielzahl neuer Erkenntnisse bezüglich Pädagogik und Lernverhalten reagiert, die sich in den letzten Jahren herauskristallisiert haben. Der Architektur kommt im Zuge dieser Reformierungen die Aufgabe und Möglichkeit zu, durch Überprüfung bestehender, sowie Entwicklung neuer Schultypen als Reaktion auf die geänderten Anforderungen, am Diskurs teilzunehmen und diesen voranzutreiben. Diese Diplomarbeit setzt sich mit den aktuellen Tendenzen der Schulplanung, angefangen von städtebaulichen Aspekten, über Nutzungsneutralität und Erweiterbarkeit bis hin zu den Abläufen innerhalb eines Schulgebäudes auseinander. Ziel ist die Entwicklung eines Simulations-gestützten Hilfsprogramms zur Unt...

CARE 2 Conference for Artistic and Architectural (Doctoral) Research CARE 2 CONFERENCE FOR ARTI STIC AND ARCHI TECTURAL (DOCTORAL) RESEARCH Scientific Committee Organizing Committee ProceeDings Web Editor Layout Designer Introduction to presentations Lunch Panel Members Index of Authors C A R E 2

Editor-in-Chief

use cases in sparse architectural data exchange,

Agent-based Modeling for the Bronze Age Salt Mine of Hallstatt (Upper Austria)

The existing archeological model of the Bronze Age salt mines in Hallstatt (Upper Austria) leaves... more The existing archeological model of the Bronze Age salt mines in Hallstatt (Upper Austria) leaves some important questions open: What was the size of the mining area, how long did mining activities proceed, what was the amount of mined salt, how big was the size of the mining community. This is regrettable, since answers to these questions would provide important insights into the economic and social history of prehistoric Europe. By using agent-based modeling (ABM), we have translated the body of theories conceptualizing the mining complex into a simulation. As a matter of fact, we could check the consistency of the existing archeological knowledge and obtain answers to the aforementioned questions using computation. We are convinced that our solution can be taken as powerful tool for the analysis of complex production as well as for explorative computation of working processes.

Data independent model structure for simulation within Vienna UT more space project

The Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing at Vienna University of Technology (Vienna UT... more The Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing at Vienna University of Technology (Vienna UT) has created models to simulate lecture room reservations, in order to test strategies for increasing the efficiency of utilisation, increasing booking fairness and perceived capacity without need to add more lecture rooms. Thus, the produced system had to satisfy some tough constraints: (1.) It had to be flexible and multifunctional, meaning that a dynamic code structure was needed so that program logic could depend on the imported data, but simulation algorithms would stay data-independent. (2.) The presentation logic had to be customized to fit the usability needs of the client, who would perform the simulation experiments himself. To report on both programming techniques and architectural decisions that enabled us to achieve these constraints is thus the main goal of this paper.

Falsification by Modelling and Simulation for Investigations in Hallstatt Archaeology

SNE Simulation Notes Europe, Sep 1, 2018

The prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt in Austria are subject of great interest for archaeologis... more The prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt in Austria are subject of great interest for archaeologists. Salt mining activities are dated to 1458-1245 B.C. in the Bronze Age. Modelling and simulation as virtual computational experimental archaeology' can contribute important insights into different areas of archaeology as an addition to traditional experimental methods. In a cooperative project between the Natural History Museum Vienna and the TU Wien, questions regarding prehistoric mining processes, logistic processes, and population growth in the agricultural environment are analysed by modelling and simulation. This contribution presents simulation studies, which allow to study short-term mining processes and long-term population dynamics and agricultural working processes. Moreover, essentially, the simulation studies allow also excluding cases for these working processes. This fact underlines a special property of simulation in the area of archaeology: while classical modelling and simulation aims for verification of a certain assumptions, modelling and simulation in archaeology partly aims for falsification of assumptions of working processes or other historic events.

Agent-based Modelling and Simulation for Population Dynamics under Agricultural Constraints in Prehistoric Hallstatt: Hints for a Second Settlement

SNE Simulation Notes Europe, Mar 1, 2016

This contribution is an outcome of a project cooperation between the Museum of Natural History Vi... more This contribution is an outcome of a project cooperation between the Museum of Natural History Vienna and the Vienna University of Technology. The museum investigates since many years the prehistoric salt mines in Hallstatt, Austria, by classical archaeological methods, by experimental archaeology, and by modelling and simulation, which partly ca be seen as virtual experimental archaeology. This contribution continues investigations on modelling agricultural constraints for population size in prehistoric Hallstatt, presented in a previous conference publication. As modelling and simulation approach agent-based simulation is used, as well for the mining process, and for the supply including food production, and for the environment. First, the supply for the mining process is studied. The main focus is on the food production and its time consumption which is needed to feed all people working and living in prehistoric Hallstatt. This time consumption consists at one hand of the actual time used for seeding, mowing and harvesting and on the other hand more importantly of the time used for traveling to the fields and harvesting the goods. To simulate the traveling time an A* algorithm is used, also for the traveling time needed for the miners to get to the mine. Also the supply process of felling and transporting trees to the mine as well as chipping the wood to produce wood chips for lighting purposes is part of the simulation. Experiments with the model try to localize suitable areas for the prehistoric Hallstatt village with interesting outcome: the simulation 'suggests' a subdivision of the population into a village near the mine and another village at the location of today's Hallstatt.

The RITaK Conferences. 2013-2014: Raw Materials, Innovation, Technology of Ancient Cultures - RITaK 1

Der Anschnitt, Beihefte

Globally, raw materials play a central role and are a key factor in determining the economic powe... more Globally, raw materials play a central role and are a key factor in determining the economic power and growth of modern states, confederations and coalitions. The extraction and supply of raw materials is a main driving force in global trade today, but has also profoundly influenced human economic and cultural history. In order to elucidate the importance of mineral ores in pre-modern societies, PhD students and staff at the Leibniz graduate school “Raw Materials, Innovation and Technology of Ancient Cultures” [RITaK] – a co-operation between the German Mining Museum [Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, DBM] and the Ruhr-University Bochum [RUB] – were involved in interdisciplinary research. This publication contains the results of the international RITaK end-of-project conference, held from the 27th-29th of September, as well as contributions to the RITaK workshop “Perspectives for an Economic Archaeology”, held on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2013. At a theoretical and model-building level,...

NoMoTown - An agent-based model of transport mode choice

eCAADe proceedings

In most cities, cars remain the dominant mode of transport. This is a huge problem not only becau... more In most cities, cars remain the dominant mode of transport. This is a huge problem not only because of obvious effects such as congestion and pollution, but also because it causes health issues for commuters themselves which lead to further costs for the community. In our work, we have developed an agent-based simulation which offers mitigation strategies and tries to propose realistic lines of action for transport modes to more sustainable modes. Our approach can import from GIS or (raster) maps, thus acting as a planning tool for urban planners and city administrators; we also included the possibility for generating theoretical / idealized cities, as a testbed and theoretical tool for instructing policy makers. Our goal is to find an equilibrium between individual freedom in transport choice, financial effort required for maintaining the overall transport system and the health of the whole population.

M-DAB - Towards re-using material resources of the city

eCAADe proceedings

If we strive for a decarbonized future, we need to think of buildings within a city as resources ... more If we strive for a decarbonized future, we need to think of buildings within a city as resources that can be re-used rather than being disposed of. Together with considerations on refurbishment options and future building materials, this gives a decision field for stakeholders which depends on the current``building stock&#39;&#39;-the set of pre-existing buildings which are characterized e.g. by building period, location and material composition. Changes in that context are hard to argue for since (1.) some depend on statistics, other (2.) on the concrete neighborhood and thus the space in which buildings are embedded, yet again others on (3.) future extrapolations again dealing with both of the aforementioned environments. To date, there exists no tool that can handle this back-and-forth between different abstraction levels and horizons in time; nor is it possible to pursue such an endeavor without a proper framework. Which is why the authors of this paper are aiming to provide one, giving a model of change in the context of re-using material resource of the city, when faced with numerous abstraction levels (spatial or abstract; past, current or future) which have feedback loops between them. The paper focuses on a concrete case study in the city of Vienna, however, chances are high that this will apply to every other building stock throughout the world if enough data is available. As a matter of fact, this approach will ensure that argumentation can happen on multiple levels (spatial, statistical, past, now and future) but keeps its focus on making the building stock of a city a resource for sustainable development. Keywords: material reuse, sustainability, waste reduction, Design and computation of urban and local systems-XS to XL, Health and materials in architecture and cities D1.T2.S1. HEALTH AND MATERIALS IN ARCHITECTURE AND CITIES-Volume 1-eCAADe 38 | 127

3D Regular Expressions - Searching Shapes IN Meshes: The Development of an Algorithm to Identify Recurring Geometries

by Bob Martens and Gabriel Wurzer

We have grown accustomed to performing elaborate queries on textual data, e.g. via online search ... more We have grown accustomed to performing elaborate queries on textual data, e.g. via online search engines, file system managers and word processors. In the past decade, retrieval methods that also work on non-textual data have become mainstream (e.g. face recognition software). Sadly, these developments have so far not caught on for data mining within geometrical data, e.g. 3D meshes generated in the course of architectural work. Specifically during data exchange, such a search functionality would be handy, as it often happens that geometry is exported but object identity is lost - think, for example, of generative geometry or exported BIM data. In this paper, we present an example of such a search functionality, based on angular search. Our method is inspired by regular expressions, a string matching technique commonly employed for matching substrings.