Distributed Modular Spatial Ecosystem Modeling

保护和维护我们的自然生命支持系统需要有能力了解人类活动长期和大面积的直接和间接影响。 计算机模拟现在正成为研究这些相互作用的重要工具。 时空建模在模拟异构环境时是必不可少的。 这些模型对于发展对过去系统行为的相对现实的描述是必要的，这是预测替代管理政策对未来系统行为的影响所必需的（Costanza，Sklar，白色，1990）; Risser，Karr，Forman，1984; Sklar Costanza，1991）。 随着遥感数据和地理信息系统的日益增多以及并行计算机系统的发展，建立这些复杂模型的数据和硬件障碍已开始消失。 然而，建模工具必须取得重大进展，以便非计算机科学家利用这些新资源。 本文描述了一个开发这些急需的空间建模工具的建议。

Protecting and preserving our natural life-support systems requires the ability to understand the direct and indirect effects of human activities over long periods of time and over large areas. Computer simulations are now becoming important tools for investigating these interactions. Spatio-temporal modeling is essential when simulating heterogeneous environments. These models are necessary for developing the relatively realistic description of past system behavior that is required for making predictions of the impacts of alternative management policies on future system behavior (Costanza, Sklar, & White, 1990); Risser, Karr, & Forman, 1984; Sklar & Costanza, 1991). The data and hardware barriers to building these complex models have begun to erode with the increasing availability of remote sensing data and GIS systems to manipulate it, and the development of parallel computer systems. However, significant advances in modeling tools must take place in order to and in order for non-computer scientists to take advantage of these new resources. This document describes a proposal to develop these much-needed spatial modeling tools.