Collective Information Processing and Pattern Formation in swarms, flocks and crowds

TL;DR

This paper explores how collective behaviors in animal swarms and human crowds emerge from information exchange and learning, highlighting the role of self-organization and knowledge processing in group coordination.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive classification of collective dynamics based on information transfer and knowledge processing, emphasizing the impact of learning on group behavior.

Findings

Collective behaviors are driven by information exchange mechanisms.

Knowledge processing influences the emergence of behavioral conventions.

Learning from past experiences affects group dynamics and coordination.

Abstract

The spontaneous organization of collective activities in animal groups and societies has attracted a considerable amount of attention over the last decade. This kind of coordination often permits group-living species to achieve collective tasks that are far beyond single individuals capabilities. In particular, a key benefit lies in the integration of partial knowledge of the environment at the collective level. In this contribution we discuss various self-organization phenomena in animal swarms and human crowds from the point of view of information exchange among individuals. In particular, we provide a general description of collective dynamics across species and introduce a classification of these dynamics not only with respect to the way information is transferred among individuals, but also with regard to the knowledge processing at the collective level. Finally, we highlight the fact that the individuals' ability to learn from past experiences can have a feedback effect on the collective dynamics, as experienced with the development of behavioral conventions in pedestrian crowds.