This Feature Issue of EJOR contains a selection of papers that were submitted in response to the open call for papers published in April~2002. The call defined the scope of the issue as follows: The feature issue focuses on innovative methods and tools supporting the entire life-cycle of model development, maintenance and analysis, including various modeling paradigms, techniques and tools. The methodology for modeling and analysis of complex systems includes optimization-based approaches, multi-criteria decision analysis, non-standard simulation and multi-agent systems approaches. Modeling of uncertainty using uncertainty theories, such as probability theory, fuzzy set theory and possibility theory, is an integral part of the complex systems we are focusing on. Development of new methodologies is closely related to real world applications. Application areas of particular interest for this feature issue include telecommunication, production planning and scheduling, logistics, transportation, environmental policy-making, and electronic commerce. One particular focus is on virtual worlds and modeling, including distributed decision technologies and collaborative modeling.

Authors of papers presented at the two workshops listed below, were particularly invited to submit their full papers for this Feature Issue:

• The VEAM Workshop on Virtual Environments for Advanced Modeling, organized jointly by the IFIP Working Group 7.6. and the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) on March 25-27, 2002, at JAIST, Kanazawa, Japan.
• CSM'02,  , the 16th JISR-IIASA Workshop on Methodologies and Tools for Complex System Modeling, organized jointly by the Japan Institute of Systems Research (JISR) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) on July 15-17, 2002, at IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria.

More than 70 papers were presented during VEAM and CSM'02 Workshops. There was a major overlap of interests in these workshops: both were dealing with modeling methodologies and real-world applications. However, the Feature Issue was not limited to these two events. The editors encouraged all OR researchers and practitioners to submit papers that present original contributions to Complex Systems Modeling that are within the scope summarized above. Finally, 33 papers have been submitted; 16 papers passed the review procedure and are presented in this Issue.

Due to the scope of the issue defined above, the presented papers cover a diversified range of topics. However, each paper deals with an innovative modeling method and/or an innovative application. All methodological papers at least outline a complex application to which the presented method has been applied. Because of the characteristics of the papers it was not practical to organize the issue by grouping papers according to any crisp classification rule. Therefore, the issue is organized into the following four parts:

• Modeling methodologies;
• Agent-based modeling;
• Optimization; and
• Applications.

Below we present the list of the papers included in the issue.

Editorial:

Modeling methodologies:

1. J. Gu and X. Tang, Meta-synthesis Approach to Complex System Modeling
2. M. Makowski, A Structured Modeling Technology
3. Z. Pawlak, Some Remarks on Conflict Analysis
4. H. Tamura, Behavioral Models for Complex Decision Analysis

Agent-based modeling:

1. R. Schleiffer, An Intelligent Agent Model
2. A. Chaturvedi, S. Mehta, D. Dolk, and R. Ayer, Agent-based Simulation for Computational Experimentation: Developing an Artificial Labor Model,
3. M. Ryoke and Y. Nakamori, Agent-based Approach to Complex Systems Modeling
4. T. Fischer and H. Gehring, Planning Vehicle transshipment in a Seaport Automobile Terminal Using a Multi-agent System
5. T. Ma and Y. Nakamori, Agent-based Modeling of Technological Innovation as an Evolutionary Process

Optimization:

1. H. Nakayama, Y. Yun, T. Asada and M. Yoon, MOP/GP Models for Machine Learning
2. O. Arndt, T. Barth, B. Freisleben and M. Grauer, Approximating a Finite Element Model by Neural Network Prediction for Facility Optimization in Groundwater Engineering
3. T. Ermolieva, Simulation-based Optimization of Social Security Systems under Uncertainty

Applications:

1. E. Antonsson and H.-J. Sebastian, Fuzzy Fitness Functions Applied to Engineering Design Problems
2. G. Chryssolouris, N. Papakostas and D. Mourtzis, Refinery Short-term Scheduling with Tank Farm, Inventory and Distillation management: an Integrated Simulation-based Approach
3. L. Martins, J. Craveirinha, J. Climaco and T. Gomes, On a Bi-Dimensional Dynamic Alternative Routing Method
4. T. Masui, Policy Evaluations under Environmental Constraints using Computable General Equilibrium Model

marek@iiasa.ac.at

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