"small world" networks and Grid2d

[Matthew M Murphy]

Group:

I'm been wondering if it would be possible to create a routine which would
modify Grid2d "behind the scenes" so that neighborhoods would be
modified along the lines of Duncan Watts' definition of a "small world
network", i.e., by randomly changing a small number of the "connections"
so that the underlying structure of the network would be different, but
agents inhabiting the "world" represented by the Grid2d object would
be able to go about their movement and interactions "unaware" of the
details of the underlying structure. 

Each square in a 2d lattice would still have 8 neighbors, but a small
percentage of those neighbors might be non-adjacent.  It seems to me that
this would be an interesting way to modify models which rely upon agent
organization/contact on such a 2d space, as well as to test the effect of
different kinds of spatial/networked organizations of agents.

I suppose I am asking both for comments on the general idea of this kind
of modification, as well as detailed suggestions on how it might be
implemented.

-=- Matt


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