The lead section of this article may need to be rewritten.(November 2016) |
Modelling frameworks are used in modelling and simulation and can consist of a software infrastructure to develop and run mathematical models. They have provided a substantial step forward in the area of biophysical modelling with respect to monolithic implementations. [1] [2] [3] [4] The separation of algorithms from data, the reusability of I/O procedures and integration services, and the isolation of modelling solutions in discrete units has brought a solid advantage in the development of simulation systems. Modelling frameworks for agriculture have evolved over time, with different approaches and targets [5]
BioMA is a software framework developed focusing on platform-independent, re-usable components, including multi-model implementations at fine granularity.
BioMA (Biophysical Model Applications) is a public domain software framework designed and implemented for developing, parameterizing and running modelling solutions based on biophysical models in the domains of agriculture and environment. [6] It is based on discrete conceptual units codified in freely extensible software components . [7]
The goal of this framework is to rapidly bridge from prototypes to operational applications, enabling running and comparing different modelling solutions. A key aspect of the framework is the transparency which allows for quality evaluation of outputs in the various steps of the modelling workflow. The framework is based on framework-independent components, both for the modelling solutions and the graphical user's interfaces. The goal is not only to provide a framework for model development and operational use but also, and of no lesser importance, to provide a loose collection of objects re-usable either standalone or in different frameworks. The software is developed using Microsoft C# language in the .NET framework.
The framework is a development of the work carried out under the APES [8] task of the 6th EU Framework Program SEAMLESS project.
Deployments of the platform and its tools and components have been used:
BioMA applications and modelling solutions are the simulation tools used by the MARS unit of the European Commission to simulate agricultural production under scenarios of climate change. BioMA is also used in the EU FP7 project MODEXTREME.
The simulation system is discretized in layers, each with its own features and requirements. Such layers are the Model Layer (ModL), where fine granularity models are implemented as discrete units, [54] the Composition Layer (CompL), where basic models are linked into more complex, aggregated models, and the Configuration Layer (ConfL), which allows providing context specific parameterization (in the software sense) for operational use. Applications can span from simple console applications to user-interacting applications based on the model-view-controller pattern, in the simplest cases linking either directly to either the ModL or the CompL, or accessing model ConfL. In all cases, the component oriented architecture allows implementing a set of functionalities which impact on the richness of functionality of the system and on its transparency. Layers implement no top-down dependency among them, hence facilitating the independent reuse of tools, utilities, and model components in different applications and frameworks.
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In the context of the AgriDigit project, carried out at CREA, the BioMA framework has been adapted to execution in the Cloud via a SaaS architecture. Model calls will be treated as an HTTP invocation, so the Model View Controller architecture is no longer needed. Hence, the Configuration Layer has been eliminated (it is not used) for cloud services. Also the Composition Layer has been simplified.
Advanced applications can be grouped under two categories:
Applications can be built based on the libraries as in the following figure. The libraries can be extended implementing new models, as shown in the software development kits, and new libraries can be added.
Model components and tools can be autonomously downloaded with the SDK at the components' portal. Same for modelling solutions (the portal is being renovated).
Acces to modelling solutions as SaaS need to be requested.
Code of core components is available under the MIT license, however, the reuse of binaries falls under the Creative Commons license as below, implying the no-commercial, share-alike clauses.
Application and tools are available under the Creative Commons license as binaries, however code can be shared under specific agreements between parties. Model component developers may make code available, however, they must make binaries available for reuse. [55]
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professionals of the agricultural science are called agricultural scientists or agriculturists.
Agroecology is an applied science that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Bringing ecological principles to bear can suggest new management approaches in agroecosystems. The term is often used imprecisely, as the term can be used as a science, a movement, or an agricultural practice. Agroecologists study a variety of agroecosystems. The field of agroecology is not associated with any one particular method of farming, whether it be organic, regenerative, integrated, or industrial, intensive or extensive, although some use the name specifically for alternative agriculture.
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Component-based software engineering (CBSE), also called component-based development (CBD), is a branch of software engineering that emphasizes the separation of concerns with respect to the wide-ranging functionality available throughout a given software system. It is a reuse-based approach to defining, implementing and composing loosely coupled independent components into systems. This practice aims to bring about an equally wide-ranging degree of benefits in both the short-term and the long-term for the software itself and for organizations that sponsor such software.
Gianni Bellocchi is a researcher in agricultural and related sciences. He is credited with the development of approaches and tools in validation of estimates and measurements. Introduction of fuzzy logic in the context of validation is often considered to be the most significant contribution to the field of model and method validation.
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Spot blotch is a leaf disease of wheat caused by Cochliobolus sativus. Cochliobolus sativus also infects other plant parts and in conjunction with other pathogens causes common root rot and black point.
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Agent-based models have many applications in biology, primarily due to the characteristics of the modeling method. Agent-based modeling is a rule-based, computational modeling methodology that focuses on rules and interactions among the individual components or the agents of the system. The goal of this modeling method is to generate populations of the system components of interest and simulate their interactions in a virtual world. Agent-based models start with rules for behavior and seek to reconstruct, through computational instantiation of those behavioral rules, the observed patterns of behavior.
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The Knowledge Engineering and Machine Learning group (KEMLg) is a research group belonging to the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) – BarcelonaTech. It was founded by Prof. Ulises Cortés. The group has been active in the Artificial Intelligence field since 1986.
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