Specific objectives of the project were:   
-To further cooperation between water resource decision makers and experts in water resource management and in agent-based social simulations.    
-To analyse hydrosocial issues of waste water treatment, water scarcity and integrated catchment planning in selected regions and assemble the data required 
for agent-based modelling.    
-To develop agent-based models for application to issues of water treatment, scarcity and planning.    
-To carry out participatory integrated assessments in five selected regions, involving stakeholders, scientists and agent-based modelling experts. 
   
-Based on the experience gained, to compare the management of water and to develop a methodology for the agent-based simulation of water resource issues 
in Europe.    
The agent based models were applied in five different case studies. The five different regions are:    
- Barcelona, Spain   
- Limburg, Netherlands   
- Orb Valley, France   
- Thames Region, England   
- Zürich, Switzerland 
            

The goal of the FIRMA project was to improve water resource planning by developing and applying agent-based modelling to integrate physical, hydrological, 
social and economic aspects of water resource management.    
The firma project has used agent-based modelling in partnership with stakeholders to develop shared representations of social and political structures 
and natural conditions that allow for clarifying and sharing perspectives, in order to develop a better understanding of what needs to be considered or controlled 
in order to influence behavior.   
   
The project produced six deliverables of which three are not public available.   
   
One report gives an overview of participatory approaches conducted in the five case study regions. The main components of the participatory processes in 
the regions are negotiation around common resource problems, co-operative decision making and the collaboration between lay people and experts.   
The other public available report focusses on the integration of the different case studies. The results are that   
- Agent-based approaches allow the involvement of stakeholders in the development of models.   
-Agent-based approaches aid policy development by supporting stakeholder learning about the complex dynamics of water resources management and other 
stakeholders’ viewpoints   
-Agent-based approaches yield a richer base for policy-making than using traditional modelling approaches alone.   
-Many agent-based models rather than a single common model are needed because the effects of water policy implementation differ according to context and 
history.   
-There are many types of agent-based models and stakeholder participation so it is necessary to consider the most appropriate approach for a particular 
policy context.   
-There are some common building blocks from which a variety of agent-based models can be constructed   
   
The project produced a training course, which gives an introduction to hydrology, modelling and integrated assessment. 
            

The public available products are:   
- An online training course, which gives an introduction to hydrology, modelling and integrated assessment.   
- Report on the integration of the results of the five different case studies (generic).   
- Report on participatory integrated assessment in five case studies (generic).   
   
The available publications and reports are:   
   
-Asakawa, T., & Gilbert, N. (2003). Synthesizing experiences: lessons to be learned from internet-mediated simulation games. Simulation and gaming, 
34(1), 10 - 22.   
   
Barreteau, O., Cernesson, F., and Ferrand, N. (2001). Pluralité des références spatiales et sociales pour les acteurs d’un contrat de riviè re. Montagnes 
Méditerranéennes No.14. pp 47-56.   
   
Barreteau, O., Cernesson, F., Garin, P., and Belaud, G. (2003.) Towards management scales internalising conflicts: case study in South of France. Communication 
to the ICID Conference, Montpellier.   
   
Barreteau, O., Cernesson, F., Garin, P., Belaud, G. (2003). Towards management scales internalising conflicts: case study in South of France. 20th European 
Regional Conference of ICID Consensus to resolve irrigation and water use conflicts in the Euromediterranean Region . 14-19 September 2003. Montpellier, 
France.   
   
Boutet A., Barreteau, O., and Cernesson F. (2003). An agent-based model for co-operative water management in the Orb valley. Group GDN Workshop 2003, Istanbul, 
6-10 July 2003   
   
Conte, R. (2002). Emergent (Info )Institutions, Cognitive Systems Research Volume 2, Issue 2, May 2001, pp 97-110   
   
Conte, R. (forthcoming). Cognitive and Social Factors in Reputation in J. Pitt (ed.) Open Agent Societies: Normative Specifications in Multi-Agent Systems 
Wiley   
   
Conte, R. and Fattori, R. (forthcoming) Cognitivi degli Artefatti Socio-Cultural Sistemi Intelligenti   
   
Conte, R., and Dellarocas, C. (eds) (2001). Social Order in MAS. Kluwer.   
   
Conte, R., and Paolucci, M. (2002). Reputation in Artificial Societies Social Beliefs for Social Order Kluwer.   
   
Conte, R., and Paolucci, M. (forthcoming) Reputation in Partner Selection Rationality and Society   
   
Conte, R., and Sichman, J.S. (forthcoming) Dependence Within And Between Groups Computational and Mathematical Organisation Theory. Conte, R., Edmonds, 
B., Moss, S. and Swayer, R. K. (2001). Sociology and Social Theory in Agent Based Social Simulation: A Symposium. Computational and Mathematical Organization 
Theory. 7(3), 183-205.   
   
Dautenhahn, K., Bond, A., Canamero, D, and Edmonds, B. (Eds.). (2002) Socially Intelligent Agents - creating relationships with computers and robots. 
Dordrecht: Kluwer.   
   
Downing, T. E., Moss, S. and Pahl-Wostl, C. (2000). Understanding Climate Policy Using Participatory Agent-Based Social Simulation Proceedings of Multi 
Agent Based Simulation (MABS), Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence Springer Verlag pp198-213.   
   
Edmonds, B. (2000). Complexity and Scientific Modelling. Foundations of Science, 5:379-390.   
   
Edmonds, B. (2001) The Use of Models - making MABS actually work. In. Moss, S. and Davidsson, P. (eds.), Multi Agent Based Simulation, Lecture Notes in Artificial 
Intelligence, 1979:15-32.   
   
Edmonds, B. and Moss, S. (2001) The Importance of Representing Cognitive Processes in Multi-Agent Models, Artificial Neural Networks - ICANN'2001, Aug 
21-25 2001, Vienna, Austria. Published in: Dorffner, G., Bischof, H. and Hornik, K. (eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2130:759-766   
   
Edmonds, B. and Wallis, S. (2002) Towards an Ideal Social Simulation Language. 3rd International Workshop on Multi-Agent Based Simulation (MABS'02) at 
AAMAS'02, Bologna, 15-16 July 2002. Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence 2581:104-124.   
   
Edmonds, Bruce (2003) Against: a priori theory For: descriptively adequate computational modelling, In The Crisis in Economics: The Post-Autistic Economics 
Movement: The first 600 days, Routledge.   
   
Edwards, M., Goreaud, F., Barreteau, O., Cernesson, F., and Hill, D. (2002). An object-oriented model linking hydrological and social processes at an aggregate 
level. Workshop Agent-Based Simulation 3, special session on Simulation and Environment (SCS), Passau (Germany), 7-9 April 2002   
   
Edwards, M., Huet, S., Goreaud, F., and Deffuant, G. (2003). Comparaison entre un modè le individu-centré de diffusion de l’innovation et sa version agrégée 
dérivée par champ moyen pour des simluations à court terme Proceedings of MFI 03 20-22 May 2003, Lille   
   
Edwards, M., Huet, S., Goreaud, F., Deffuant, G. (2003). Comparing individual-based model of behaviour diffusion with its mean field aggregated approximation 
Proceedings of M2M. 31 March -1 April 2003, Marseille   
   
Gilbert, N., Maltby, S. and Asakawa, T. (2002). Participatory simulations for developing scenarios in environmental resource management in C. Urban, 
(ed.) Third Workshop on Agent-Based Simulation. SCS Europe Bvba, Ghent. April 7-9 pp 67-72.   
   
Hare, M, Gilbert, N., Medugno, D., Asakawa, T., Heeb, J. and Pahl-Wostl, C. (2001) The development of an internet forum for long-term participatory group 
learning about problems and solutions to sustainable urban water supply management in Hilty, L.M. &    
   
Gilgen, P.W. (eds) Sustainability in the Information Society, 15th International Symposium Informatics for Environmental Protection, Part 2: Methods/Workshop 
Papers Metropolis Verlag, Marburg. pp743-750.   
   
Hare, M. and Deadman, P. (in press). Further towards a taxonomy of agent-based simulation models in environmental management. Mathematics and Computers 
in Simulation.   
   
Hare, M., Letcher, P., and Jakeman, A.J. (2002). Participatory Natural Resource Management: A Comparison of Four Case Studies in A. E. Rizzoli and A. J. Jakeman, 
(eds.) Integrated Assessment and Decision Support- proceedings of the 1st Biennial Meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society 
   
   
Hare, M., Letcher, P., and Jakeman, A.J. (in press). Participatory Modelling in Natural Resource Management: A Comparison of Four Case Studies. Integrated 
Assessment Volume 3 pp73-78   
   
Hare, M., and Pahl-Wostl, C. (2001). Model uncertainty derived from choice of agent rationality  a lesson for policy assessment modelling in N. Giambiasi 
and C. Frydman, (eds.) Simulation in Industry: 13th European Simulation Symposium. SCS Europe Bvba, Ghent. pp 854-859.   
   
Hare, M., Deadman, P., and Lim, K. (2001) Towards a taxonomy of agent-based simulation models in environmental management. in F. Ghassemi (ed.) Integrating 
models for natural resources management across disciplines, issues and scales. MODSIM 10-13 December Canberra, Australia. Volume 3: Socioecnonomic systems 
pp1115-1122   
   
Hare, M., Medugno, D., Heeb, J., and Pahl-Wostl, C. (2002). An applied methodology for participatory model building of agent-based models for urban water 
management In C. Urban (ed.) Third Workshop on Agent-Based Simulation. SCS-Europe BVBA, April 7-9 pp 61-66.   
   
Hare, M.P., and Pahl-Wostl. C. (2002). Stakeholder categorisation in processes of participatory integrated assessment. Integrated Assessment.3: 50-62. 
  
   
Krywkow, J. Valkering, P., Rotmans, J., and van der Veen, A. (2002). Agent-based and Integrated Assessment Modelling for Incorporating Social Dynamics 
in the Management of the Meuse in the Dutch Province of Limburg in A.E. Rizzoli, and A.J. Jakeman (eds.) Integrated Assessment and Decision Support Proceedings 
of the First Biennial Meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society IEMSs, 24 -27 June, University of Lugano, Switzerland Volume 
2, pp263- 268.   
   
Krywkow, J., Valkering, P., Rotmans, J., and van der Veen, A. (2002). Coupling an Agent-Based Model With an Integrated Assessment Model to Investigate Social 
Aspects of Water Management in C. Urban, (ed.) Workshop 2002: Agent-Based Simulation 3 Proceedings, SCS-European Publishing House, Erlangen, Ghent