Agent-based Models
NCORE leads the
Modeling and Decision Support working group of the World Bank / Global
Environmental Facility Coral Reef Targeted Research Project, and collaborates in a variety of vital programs, including the Mesoamerican
Barrier Reef System Project, the NSF Biocomplexity Program, and the
Caribbean Reefs at Risk Analysis. A series of international workshops are
being conducted in order to prioritize research issues.
We describe here a
series of studies focused on
developing agent-based models (ABM) of some interacting elements of
coral reefs. Readers are encouraged to learn more
about this approach (see
Links of Interest for some recommended websites).
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(Animation by: Wade Cooper, 2003) |
ReefSim,
our final product, will be written in the Java2 and Java3D,
and utilizes Silicon Graphic (SGI)
technologies. ReefSim
will allow managers to respond preemptively to human or natural
disturbances that have the potential to impact the ecosystem.
Initially, models are being developed for an unconstrained 2D space.
As they are developed, agents (3D rendered when applicable) will be
superimposed onto a 3D digital map to create a virtual reality of the
area in study.
This will
provide managers and researchers 3D simulations executed to either
reconstruct past events or examine potential future scenarios |
Among others, the following are the major fields of study that a
prototype will be developed in the near future:
- Reef fishes
(prototype of the Wa-Tor agent-based model now available),
- Macroalgae,
- Epizootiology,
- Corals,
and
- Socioeconomics.
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NCORE
