Published In
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-20-2009
Subjects
Environmental monitoring, Forest landscape design, Green technology, Computer software development, Ecological modelling
Abstract
Modern software development techniques are largely unknown to ecologists. Typically, ecological models and other software tools are developed for limited research purposes, and additional capabilities are added later, usually in an ad hoc manner. Modern software engineering techniques can substantially increase scientific rigor and confidence in ecological models and tools. These techniques have the potential to transform how ecological software is conceived and developed, improve precision, reduce errors, and increase scientific credibility. We describe our re-engineering of the forest landscape model LANDIS (LANdscape DIsturbance and Succession) to illustrate the advantages of using common software engineering practices.
Rights
Copyright 2010 The Ecological Society of America.
DOI
10.1890/080141
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/10254
Citation Details
Scheller, R. M., Sturtevant, B. R., Gustafson, E. J., Ward, B. C., & Mladenoff, D. J. (2009). Increasing the reliability of ecological models using modern software engineering techniques. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8(5), 253-260.
Description
This is the publisher's final PDF reproduced here with author and publisher permission.