An agent-based framework for visual-interactive ecosystem simulations

Customizing ecosystem simulation applications is a complex operation, and t he design of multi-agent systems remains expensive and error-prone. Object- oriented frameworks are a promising technology for the reuse of proven desi gns and implementation (i.e., software components and design patterns). Thi s paper focuses on the design of agent-oriented, visual-interactive ecosyst em simulations. We propose a customizable application framework, the novel aspects being the use of new advanced software engineering techniques for t he reuse of simulation models. The proposed framework is presented with the Unified Modeling Language applied to complex ecosystems, with behavioral m odels encapsulated into active autonomous objects with social interactions (i.e., agents). The framework is also designed to support 2D or 3D visual-i nteractive feedback to end users at run-time, in addition to its ability to interface with Geographical Information Systems and the Web.