1. Its a true pleasure to witness the evolution of Modelling API of Eclipse.Joshua M. Epstein reflected on the importance of modelling(http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/4/12.html )The basics:Joshua M. Epstein ..."..Were all modelers, but most of our models are implicit, not explicit.Sometimes we model either to predict or to explainAnd there are at least 15 other good reasons to build explicit models . . .1.Explain (very distinct from predict)2.Guide data collection3.Illuminate core dynamics4.Suggest dynamical analogies5.Discover new questions6.Promote a scientific habit of mind7.Bound (bracket) outcomes to plausible ranges8.Illuminate core uncertainties.9.Offer crisis options in near-real time10.Demonstrate tradeoffs / suggest efficiencies11.Challenge the robustness of prevailing theory throughperturbations12.Expose prevailing wisdom as incompatible with available data13.Train practitioners14.Discipline the policy dialogue15.Educate the general public16.Reveal the apparently simple (complex) to be complex(simple).."Its just not the fact that Eclipse Modelling has acquired a very high-end GraphicalCapabilities with the advancement of GMF and performance boost with CDO; butalso the mammoth extensibility and convertibility of EMF from almost anyproprietary / domain-specific model into any platform-specific implementation byleveraging model transformation technologies.We know that how any type of meta-model / model (UML, Annotated POJO, XSD,WSDL, DB Schema, PRR, PMML, Ontology etc.) can be seamlessly converted intoEMF and then be represented into GMF and finally persisted into platform-specificmodels by applying platform-specific (Finance/telecom/Health etc.) profiles. Here isone post -Graphical Model Transformation

2. M2M (XPand) and TMF (XText) simplified backward compatibilities of models andpopularized the usabilities amongst non-modellers who can focus on specific entitiesof a system.Modelling takes a giant step forward with AMP - Agent Modelling Platform.This is what is mentioned in - http://www.eclipse.org/proposals/amp/:: Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), an innovative technique used to explore complex phenomenon in many domains, including economics, social sciences, bio-medicine, ecology and business operations.The starting point is the Agent Meta-model Ecore (ACore) for modelling the Agents. Agent models share characteristics with object models, but are: Spatial: Models have explicit environment(s) in which agents interact. (An environment need not be a physical landscape; other examples of spatial relationships include social networks or positions within a logic system.) Temporal: Models change over discrete units of time. Autonomous: Agent behaviors are activated independently from other object requests. Heterogenous: Agents may share behavior definitions but have apparent and distinct states and behaviors. Collective: Models contain large communities of agents which exhibit collaborative and competitive behaviors. Emergent: Agents have collective macro-behaviors that are non-obvious from agent micro-specifications.Agent Model can be of great help where interconnected systems knowingly /unknowingly contribute to the unpredictable behaviour of real-life entities. Whatcould be a better usecase than simulating the behaviour of H1N1 virus:: AMP can be used as a independent module in Eclipse and simply use its services(say Agent Graphical Fwk - AGF) for performing business rules, resoning tasks anddynamic visualization support.:: AXF - Agent Execution Framework can also be very useful even in contextsoutside agents. One can simple adapt to the IEngine service of AXF to leverage thescheduling service provided by the Agent Model Engine and many other features.If we want to get your feet wet with this amazing modelling tool - here is how youcan Setup AMP EnvironmentStay tuned to - http://wiki.eclipse.org/AMP/UserGuide/ 3. One can delve into the Technical Details and understand AMP architecture.Its interesting to browse through Lyle Walliss observations on applying systemsscience to business, social, and natural systems using Agent Based Modelling.Specially, its an absorbing read on complex systems.Lyle Wallis comments - So I was excited to see this article in the Harvard Business Review. The authors ... ".. believe the time has come to broaden the traditional approach to leadership and decision making and form a new perspective based on complexity science." ... we can take effective management action in complex systems and create a surprising level of predictability.Lets now look back into Eclipse modelling itself. One can now create a dynamicgraph layout with moveable nodes using ZestReference :Eclipse Zest Resourceshttp://www.eclipse.org/gef/zest/ Eclipse Zest Homepagehttp://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php/GEF _Zest_Visualization Eclipse Zest Wikihttp://www.eclipse.org/gef/zest/snippets.php Eclipse Zest SnippetsAnimation using ZestGEFhttp://wiki.eclipse.org/GEF_Description2#Global_principlehttp://wiki.eclipse.org/GEF_Troubleshooting_Guidehttp://www.eclipse.org/gef/reference/digraph1.phpAMPhttp://www.eclipse.org/amp/http://www.eclipse.org/amp/documentation/amp.pdfCDO small memory-footprint EMF ObjectsAll Agent related terminologies @copyright - http://www.eclipse.org/amp/