  Powered by advanced information technology, more and more complex systems are
exhibiting characteristics of the Cyber-Physical-Social Systems (CPSS).
Understanding the mechanism of CPSS is essential to our ability to control
their actions, reap their benefits and minimize their harms. In consideration
of the cost, legal and institutional constraints on the study of CPSS in real
world, computational experiments have emerged as a new method for quantitative
analysis of CPSS. This paper outlines computational experiments from several
key aspects, including origin, characteristics, methodological framework, key
technologies, and some typical applications. Finally, this paper highlights
some challenges of computational experiments to provide a roadmap for its rapid
development and widespread application.
