Re: Swarm and GIS libraries

[Matthew Aylward EG201 G219 SL CKR]

Dr. Paul Box wrote:
> 
> Hi Group
> 
> I am very excited to see all this discussion on swarm and GIS.  I have been
> playing around with this for a while, with lots of dead ends and a few
> successes.
.............clipped
> 
> --The objects also have functions for exchanging data with neighboring cells.
> This allows the rasters to have CA-like functions.  I currently have a
> "nonsense" function that has grass from one cell encroaching into neighboring
> cells when the environmental conditions suffice.  I have every intent of
> applying this to real-world data.  This would be a nice tool for having
> diffusion processes, such as groundwater or fire, be simulated.
> 
> --The agents, when running around on this surface, get placed into 
> pixel-objects
> instead of actual grid2d locations.  By being associated with the object, the
> object can tell the agent where it is (getXY).  This allows for more than one
> agent to occupy a cell when needed.  This also allows the agents to modify the
> values of the pixel-object.  If (hypothetically) the agent is a cow and the
> surface represents a pasture, the cow can eat and trample the grass, compact 
> the
> soil, and even deposit fertilizer on top of it (sorry) before it moves into 
> the
> next cell.  The cell can then grow its grass back according to its modified
> state.
> .....................etc..clipped

Paul,
As I mentioned earlier, I am a total newbie to swarm, but I have a
reasonable experience in GIS, mainly Arc/Info and ArcView, and Botany
(and Linux).
Your "nonsense" function sounds very much like the sort of real world
"nonsense" I hope to do over the next 4 months (and probably as an
honours project after that).
I have done some very simple simulations in GRID, looking at the spread
of moss species over a cultivated landscape. I now have the opportunity
to work with some very good datasets of seagrass distributions on a
shellsand bank (about 10x10 km) over the period 1965 to 1995.
Swarm is looking like just the tool. We are starting simple, i.e.,

bare_sand, seagrass A and seagrass P.
P colonises bare_sand, A then gets a hold and infills.

We have the distributions of A and P for 1965, 72, 83 93 and 95 so will
be able to see if we are on the right track. 

I speak from a position of complete ignorance as far as swarm and
objective-C goes. I am working through the installation, then the demos
and tutorials on my Linux box at home. When I have a better idea of what
I am dealing with I will get it going on solaris here at Uni (where we
run Arc/Info, ArcView, ERMapper and MapInfo.
Myself and my GIS and Botany supervisors are VERY excited about swarm. 
I would be keen to see some of your code, and any advice you may have to
speed my assimilation into swarm would be greatly appreciated.

This list makes great reading.
Thanks and Regards,
Matt

-- 
Matt Aylward
Dept of Geography (GIS)
email: address@hidden
Linux Lover and GIS Geek
..............LINUX.....................
   OS for the people by the people

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