| Description |
We propose a new qualitative approach for ecosystem modeling based on timed automata (TA) formalism
combined to a high-level query language for exploring scenarios. EcoMata is a tool-box for modeling and
exploring qualitatively trophic-food web using this approach 2. To date, it is dedicated to ecosystems that
can be modeled as a collection of species (prey-predator systems) under various human pressures and to
environmental disturbances. This tool is made of two main parts: the Network Editor and the Query Launcher.
The Network Editor let a stakeholder describe the trophic food web in a graphical way (the species icons
and interactions between them). Only few ecological parameters are required and the user can save species
in a library. The number of qualitative biomass levels is set as desired. An efficient algorithm generates
automatically the network of timed automata. EcoMata provides also a dedicated window to help the user
to define different fishing pressures, a nice way being by using chronograms. In the Query Launcher, the
user selects the kind of query and the needed parameters (for example the species biomass levels to define a
situation). Results are provided in a control panel or in files that can be exploited later. Several additional
features are proposed in EcoMata: building a species library, import/export of ecosystem model, batch
processing for long queries, etc. EcoMata is developed in Java (Swing for the GUI) and the model-checker
called for the timed properties verification is UPPAAL. |
