Authors:
Jean-Luc de Kok
and
Guy Engelen
Affiliation:
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Belgium
Keyword(s):
Environmental Simulation, Coastal Zone Management, Component-Based Simulation, Model Reuse.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Application Domains
;
Artificial Intelligence
;
Biomedical Engineering
;
Collaboration and e-Services
;
Complex Systems Modeling and Simulation
;
Data Engineering
;
Decision Support Systems
;
Dynamical Systems Models and Methods
;
e-Business
;
Enterprise Information Systems
;
Formal Methods
;
Health Information Systems
;
Integration/Interoperability
;
Interoperability
;
Knowledge Management and Information Sharing
;
Knowledge-Based Systems
;
Life Science Modeling and Simulation
;
Ontologies and the Semantic Web
;
Sensor Networks
;
Simulation and Modeling
;
Software Agents and Internet Computing
;
Software and Architectures
;
Symbolic Systems
Abstract:
Simulation modelling is widely accepted as a tool to gain understanding of the behavior of environmental systems under pressure and support their integrated management. A common practice is that the modelling process is aimed at identifying the relevant problems and potential management strategies in close coordination with stakeholders before translating the available domain expertise into integrated simulation models. The challenges include the need for cross-disciplinary thinking and model linking, incorporation of social science knowledge, and the communication aspects of projects. Most projects bring along their own case studies, with simulation models being designed from scratch. Although component-based design is the common practice in software engineering few examples are found in environmental modelling. Project deliverables are often not reused by parties different from those that developed them. An open-source library of well-designed, reusable model building components co
uld pave the way for a more efficient use of modelling resources and considerably improve the efficiency and flexibility of the modelling process, thereby creating more room for the communication with end users, scientific discussions, and model interface design. The experiences of a multi-disciplinary simulation study of coastal systems are used to discuss the methodological aspects and pitfalls of the design of reusable model components.
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