Modeling and Implementation of a Ludic Application using Simple

Reactive Agents

Hydrological Impact of High Andean Ecosystems

J. A. Villarraga Morales and L. D. Alvarado Nieto

Department of Engineering, Universidad Distrital, Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Keywords: Simple Reactive Agents, Complex Systems, Simulation, Playfulness.

Abstract: Intense human activity is causing drastic changes in the Colombian ecosystems. Therefore, a ludic mobile

app that uses simple reactive agents was implemented to teach children about some ecosystems, that are part

of the country and the role that they play for the balance of the environment. A test to determinate the app’s

efficacy was implemented, and the results obtained indicated that the group of children who used the app

obtained a better learning curve in comparison to the group that was only taught in class.

1 INTRODUCTION

High Andean Ecosystems belong to high mountain

tropical forests, according to Quijano Prieto

(Quijano Prieto & al, 2015), and are fundamental in

the regulation of water. Colombia owns 50% of this

type of ecosystems worldwide and it has

approximately 98 different types of ecosystems

which make it in a natural power (Ministerio del

Medio Ambiente, 2015). However, many of these

environments are unknown to Colombians, as well

as the functions performed by them. This ignorance

the inhabitants have shown, the lack of rigor in

environmental laws and the excessive actions taken

by people against natural resources are generating a

great environmental damage to the country. Some of

these harmful effects are: erosion of soils, extinction

of native species, air pollution, etc. (Güiza Suárez,

2011). Which represents an alarming scenario for

living beings that depend on these environments.

Due to the difficult ecological situation that not

only the country, but the whole world is facing, and

given that this is a complex problem, the

Complexity's Group of the District University from

Bogotá Colombia has decided to take actions that

contribute to the environment care. For this reason, a

ludic mobile app that simulates ecosystems,

specifically: a paramo, a high-Andean forest and a

savannah, all of which are part of the Andean region

of Colombia (Avella-M., et al., 2014), was

developed. Although there are different simulations

game such as Simlife, Creatures and Among

Ripples, there hasn't been found an specific app

focused on the simulation of the Colombian

ecosystems, that allow showing the most relevant

characteristics of these environments.

Basically, the main scenario of the app shows

ecosystems in their natural state, then as the child

interacts with the application he will be able to

transform them, allowing him to cut and reforest

trees, build houses and hunt animals. Simultaneously,

indicators of temperature, water, oxygen and carbon

dioxide levels were added, in order to visualize the

changes that are generated when handling ecosystems

and the effects caused by such manipulations. All this

in order to demonstrate the importance of paramos for

the regulation of water tributaries, and the role played

by high-Andean forests as air-purifying entities and

main contributors to the rains that fall in paramos

(Ospina Rodríguez, 2005).

Initially, plant simulation and the role that they

play in nature was the main goal. However, the

simulation of animals had to be implemented too,

begining with the introduction of the spectacled bear,

a native specie of Colombian high-Andean forests

which is currently in danger of extinction. This in

order to evidence that this kind of bear is essential to

the ecosystem because being that it helps to reforest

its own habitat (WCS , 2011).

The modeling of the ecosystems and their

components was carried out using the technique of

simple-reactive agents. Subsequently, a mobile app

based on those models was developed. The app’s tests

142

Villarraga Morales, J. and Alvarado Nieto, L.

Modeling and Implementation of a Ludic Application using Simple Reactive Agents.

DOI: 10.5220/0006793701420147

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Complexity, Future Information Systems and Risk (COMPLEXIS 2018), pages 142-147

ISBN: 978-989-758-297-4

were made in a rural headquarters of the Pedro Pabón

Parga school located in Carmen de Apicalá Tolima.

2 MODELING ECOSYSTEMS

AND THEIR COMPONENTS

Taking into consideration that the objective of this

section is the ecosystems modelling, which, being

dynamic and presenting a complex behaviour, needs

to be managed as such (Ritter Ortíz & Perez Espino,

2011; Ladyman, et al., 2012), it became necessary to

apply complexity sciences techniques such the simple

reactive agents. This technique consists in analysing

an entity and identifying three factors: the sensors

(parties in charge of receiving information from the

environment), the decision rules (those that indicate

the actions that must be taken according to the

information obtained by the sensors) and the actuators

(responsible for executing the actions generated

through the decision rules) (Alechina, 2013).

Although, this section is widely described in a

previous paper named “Paramo and High-Andean

Simulation using Reactive Agents Hydrological

Role of High Andean Ecosystems” (Villarraga

Morales & Alvarado Nieto, 2017), It is necessary to

show the modelling of a bear as a simple reactive

agent, which is described below:

Figure 1: Model of bear using reactive agents.

Analysing the Figure 1. The bear uses two sensor

elements: The respiratory system (which allows it to

absorb oxygen from the air) and the mouth (used to

ingest fruits of trees). And two actuators: The respire-

tory system (responsible for releasing carbon dioxide

as a by-product of respiration) and the digestive

system (used to discard the seeds of ingested fruits).

Once the bear model is specified, it is necessary

to establish the control rules; therefore, the

following activity diagram was created:

Figure 2: Bear activity diagram.

Activities performed by the bear are shown in the

Figure 2. Highlighting two main processes: the

breathing process and how the bear reforests the

forest (the bear eats fruits, then increases its energy

and later the seeds obtained after the digestive

process are released into the ground).

Another important element in the simulation is

the house, because it allows the user to transform

natural ecosystems to artificial ecosystems.

Therefore, the following model was created:

Figure 3: Model of house using reactive agents.

Modeling and Implementation of a Ludic Application using Simple Reactive Agents

143

Analysing the Figure 3. The house element has

the same sensor and actuator (fireplace), because the

wood obtained from the territory is deposited in the

chimney and later, as it’s being burnt, carbon

dioxide is released by this element into the air.

3 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

LUDIC APPLICATION

Continuing with the development process, the next

step was to integrate the modelling performed in the

previous section, as a mobile app, where every

model of ecosystems and its components was

implemented. The resulting interface is shown in

this section.

Figure 4: Territory interface.

Visualizing the Figure 4. It can be seen that all

the ecosystems that were proposed to be represented,

are implemented: a paramo (on the right side of the

red line), a high-Andean forest (on the right side of

the blue line) and a savannah (on the right side of the

yellow line). Additionally, at the top of this figure

the elements of the air (temperature, O

, CO

, H

represented by icons, can also be seen, allowing the

user to identify if some change has altered the

natural balance of the territory.

Another aspect to detail is the button bar located

in the lower part of the application, that gives the

user the option to create trees or houses, allowing

him to perform functions of reforestation and

transformation of natural ecosystems.

3.1 Implementation of the

Functionalities of Ecosystems

Components

Focusing in the main activities performed by trees,

the buttons described in the following figure were

generated, in order to implement processes such as

felling and harvesting trees.

3.1.1 Functions of Trees

Implementing activities such as felling and

harvesting trees, the buttons described in the

following figure were generated.

Figure 5: Buttons and icons of trees.

Analysing the Figure 5. It’s shown that when a

tree is selected from the simulated territory,

immediately in the upper right corner of interface,

icons that show the amount of wood, fruit and

energy that such tree has, appear. Similarly, the

fruits are harvested when the icon referring to the

fruit is selected, and the axe icon is used to cut a

tree.

3.1.2 Functions of the Bear

Another biotic organism characterized in the

simulated territory is the spectacled bear.

Consequently, interactions represented in the Figure

2, were implemented in the present app. Obtaining

as result the next icons:

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Figure 6: Icons of bear.

Identifying the icons shown in the right side of

the Figure 6, that only appear when the bear is

selected, it shows that the first icon represents the

bear's energy, while the second one allows the user

to feed it but only if there are harvested fruits in the

territory. Finally, the third icon allows hunting the

bear.

3.1.3 Functions of House

Although this reactive agent (house) only has an

activity (turn on the fireplace), it was important to

implement it, since that way, the simulated

ecosystems could be transformed to an artificial

environment. Analysing the next figure (Figure 7).

As the savannah is being transformed into an agro-

ecosystem, is shown that the user is manipulating

that environment. Additionally, the smoke coming

out from the chimney indicates that the wood, that

had to be previously collected by felling trees, is

being burnt. The final phase of this process is

generated when CO2 is released into the air.

Figure 7: House implemented in the simulation.

4 APPLICATION TEST

Although the previous section indicates that the

modelling of the ecosystems and their components

carried out in phase 2 was implemented in the

development of the app, it’s important to verify that

the results obtained in the paper, entitled “Paramo

and High-Andean Simulation using Reactive Agents

Hydrological Role of High Andean Ecosystems”

(Villarraga Morales & Alvarado Nieto, 2017) are

evidenced. Additionally, due to the fact that the

developed app is made to have a ludic nature, tests

that validate the pedagogical effectiveness of the

developed tool were necessary.

4.1 Functionality Tests

Tests about changes in the ecosystem’s behaviour

when strongly modified or affected, were applied.

The first part was to destroy most of the high

Andean forest. The next figure shows that changes:

Figure 8: The high Andean forest is destroyed.

Visualising the effects shown in the Figure 8.

The thawing of the mountain and the reduction of

river flow are the main changes highlighted.

However, the increase in temperature and CO2

levels are also denoted. This because these kinds of

ecosystems do not only play the role of purifying

agents, but they also provide most of rainwater that

falls in paramos (Díaz-Granados Ortiz, et al., 2005).

Continuing with the test process, the next step

was to identify what happens when the paramo is

destroyed. The figure above (Figure 9) represents

that scenario. Analysing such figure, a great effect is

denoted, the river flow changes drastically in

different periods of time: the river flow decrease

severely in January (which is a month of dry season)

but in July (a rainy month) this one increases

disproportionately. Effect that is caused being that

the paramo is a hydric regulator (Jacobsen &

Dangles, 2017).

Modeling and Implementation of a Ludic Application using Simple Reactive Agents

145

Figure 9: scenario when the paramo is destroyed.

4.2 Efficacy Tests

Knowing that the purpose of this app was for

children to keep in their minds knowledge that,

although is very important, sometimes is taught in a

tedious way. The next step was to perform tests that

allowed identifying if the app did help to ease the

learning of topics related to ecology. Therefore, a

group of 18 children (who represented

approximately 60% of the total school children) of

third, fourth and fifth grade of a rural school located

in the Carmen de Apicalá (Tolima) were chosen.

The next figure shows a classroom where the tests

were made:

Figure 10: Children learning ecology.

The total group was divided in two. The first day

both groups were evaluated using a written test

composed by 10 questions about the High Andean

ecosystems and the greenhouse effect, this in order

to determine their degree of previous knowledge.

The next day, the first group (named group A) was

taught using the ludic application as a support tool

while the other group (group B) was taught using the

classic method. Finally, a new written test was

applied to both groups.

The results obtained are shown in the following

graph:

Figure 11: Score obtained by students of group A.

The improvement in the score of the children

after explaining the topics using the app is evident.

In the Figure 11 is analysis it’s shown that 100% of

the group members improved their marks or in the

worst, case maintain them.

On the other hand, the second group (named

group B), which was taught without the ludic app,

kept a low score. The following figure represents

their results:

Figure 12: Score obtained by students of group B.

Certainly, the results presented in the Figure 12,

are much lower than the results of group A. showing

that for group B: 22.5% of children improved their

score, while another 22.5% worsened the score and

the remaining 55% maintained their level of

qualification.

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5 CONCLUSIONS

Analysing the results obtained in the implementation

section, it's evident that the technique of simple

reactive agents is an adequate tool for the simulation

of ecosystems. Because, not only allows to visualize

the characteristics of the agent, but also to define the

way in which the interaction with the environment is

generated.

The functional tests verify that the role played by

paramos and high Andean forests for the balance of

the environment is essential. Similarly, a strong

dependence between these ecosystems was denoted.

This agrees with the results obtained by studies such

as those of Antoine M. Cleef (Cleef, 2015) and

Thomas Van der Hammen (Estévez, 2009)

The characterization of simulated ecosystems as

complex systems was clearly demonstrated.

Because, even though each of its elements present

simple behaviours, the elements interaction

generates complex behaviours (such as the change in

the flow of the rivers or the melting of the snow).

That is, unscheduled actions emerge.

Children in rural areas are those who are in direct

contact with paramos and high Andean forests.

Therefore, they are the ones who should have the

best knowledge, about the importance and care of

these environments. Due to that, this work was

focused in the ludic learning of those children.

Finally, the importance of the results obtained

when the app was used to teach fundamental topics

such as ecology, is highlighted. Being that the

learning curve of the children who used the

application was much higher than the group that was

oriented with the conventional method, showing that

this kind of knowledge can be imparted to children

in a fun and ludic way, without losing the final

objective "that the topic explained is engraved in the

mind of the child and not just in a notebook".

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