Agent-Based Simulation of Ecological Models

• Author(s): António Pereira ; Pedro Duarte ; Luís Paulo Reis
• Date: 2004
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10216/349
• Origin: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
• Subject(s): Ciências Naturais; Ciências biológicas; Biodiversidade; Exploração sustentávell, Ciências tecnológicas; Engenharia; Engenharia de computadores
• Document Type: Conference Object
• Language: Portuguese

Description

Coastal lagoons ecosystems are very complex to model and its global behaviour it’s hard to simulate. This com-plexity is even greater if the simulation model includes the intelligent entities like decision-makers involved in the system. Typical ecological simulations include only models of entities that have a very easy to predict behaviour (using mathematical equations and/or simple logical rules). However, in real ecological systems, man is heavily involved and his decisions are not based on fixed mathematical equations or simples rules but con-trarily they are based on an in-depth analysis of the environment using his knowledge. This paper introduces an approach to intelligent ecological systems simulation using the agent-based approach. Intelligent entities are modelled as agents that have perception of their envi-ronment, reason using their knowledge and are able to change the simulated environment by using a given set of configurable actions. Coastal lagoons ecosystems are very complex to model and its global behaviour it’s hard to simulate. This com-plexity is even greater if the simulation model includes the intelligent entities like decision-makers involved in the system. Typical ecological simulations include only models of entities that have a very easy to predict behaviour (using mathematical equations and/or simple logical rules). However, in real ecological systems, man is heavily involved and his decisions are not based on fixed mathematical equations or simples rules but con-trarily they are based on an in-depth analysis of the environment using his knowledge. This paper introduces an approach to intelligent ecological systems simulation using the agent-based approach. Intelligent entities are modelled as agents that have perception of their envi-ronment, reason using their knowledge and are able to change the simulated environment by using a given set of configurable actions.