W3: Workshop on the Development and Integration of Modelling Frameworks for Environmental Decision Support
Leaders
Andrea Rizzoli and George Leavesley
Goals
This workshop aims at addressing the issue of re-usability and interoperability of software implementations of models, data and algorithms across environmental disciplines and at various temporal and spatial scales.
Problems
Integrated Modelling Frameworks (IMFs) have been designed as a response to the increasing complexity of delivering effective Environmental Decision Support Systems (EDSSs), which tend to be more and more complex in terms of their software architecture and of the type of problems they try to solve. For instance, the discipline of Integrated Assessment needs EDSSs able to span a range of disciplines, from socio-economics to ecology, from hydrology to participatory decision making.
Recent developments in Software Engineering has brought forward the possibility of designing and deploying software 'components' which can be assembled to produce various instances of EDSSs. While IMFs have been quick in taking up these advances, the actual ability to re-use models, data and algorithm implementations across different frameworks is limited.
Questions
In this workshop we want to ask ourselves what is the roadmap to a future development of IMF which will enhance interoperability, reuse and maximise the interaction among the many groups working on IMF development over the world.
In particular we will discuss:
- How can component-oriented software engineering assist us in packaging and delivering reusable models? What is the role of standard component interfaces and software introspection?
- Which is the practical role of semantic integration of data and models: how can we use ontologies to mark-up model variables and database links?
- Are web services the ultimate solution to provide interoperability among models, data and algorithms? What are the performance compromises and the implementation pre-requisites?
- How can we guarantee the quality of software components? Which are the testing techniques and documentation protocols we should adopt?
- Why do we suffer about the YAMF (Yet Another Modelling Framework) syndrome after all these years? Are non-environmental modelling frameworks (e.g. Matlab/Simulink, GAMS, Modelica, etc) are not good enough for EDSS building?
Web References
- The Object Modeling System, an object-oriented framework for environmental simulation models: >>http://oms.ars.usda.gov/index.html
- The Integrating Modelling Architecture: multi-scale, multi-paradigm declarative modelling: >>http://www.integratedmodelling.org/
- OpenMI (Open Modelling Interface and Environment), a standard for model linkage in the water domain: >>http://www.openmi.org/
- TIME, The Invisible Modelling Environment: >>http://www.toolkit.net.au/time Modelica, modeling of complex physical systems: >>http://www.modelica.org/
- GAMS, the general algebraic modelling system: >>http://www.gams.org PermaLink
Invited Guest Speaker - Giorgio Guariso
SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY DECISIONS THROUGH AN OPEN SOFTWARE STRUCTURE
Giorgio Guariso, Matteo Baracani
Dipartimento di Elettronica e Informazione, Politecnico di Milano
Via Ponzio, 34/5- 20133 MILANO
e-mail: guariso@elet.polimi.it - tel: +39022399-3559 fax: -3412
www.elet.polimi.it
