Modeling and simulation of fire spreading through the activity tracking paradigm

Modeling and simulation is essential for understanding complex ecological systems. However, knowledge of the structure and behavior of these systems is limited, and models must be revised frequently as our understanding of a system improves. Moreover, the dynamic, spatial distribution of activity in very large systems necessitates mapping natural mechanisms as logically as possible onto computer structures. This paper describes theoretical and algorithmic tools for building component-based models and simulations of dynamic spatial phenomena. These methods focus attention on and exploit the irregular distribution of activity in ecological processes. We use the DEVS formalism as the basis for a component-based approach to modeling spatially distributed systems. DEVS is a mathematical theory of discrete-event systems that is well suited for describing large systems that are described by small parts with irregular, short-range interactions. This event-based approach to modeling leads naturally to efficient simulations algorithms which focus on the active parts of a large model. Ecological modeling benefits from these efficient the simulation algorithms and the reusability of the model’s basic components. Our event-based method is demonstrated with a physics-based model of fire spread.