Day Two

Day 2 Objectives

 * Interpretation of syntax and structure of SELES model types
 * Use of various modelling tools and concepts to describe the pattern and process in spatial data

Outline

 * Landscape event properties and context – How SELES models work
 * Scenario file specifications (.scn)
 * Model Definition file specifications (.sel)
 * Landscape event/agent file specifications (.lse)
 * Configure and run a spreading event
 * Tutorial #5: Experiment with a spreading event
 * Tutorial #6: Modify and run a simple disturbance succession model
 * Create a simple non-spreading event
 * Tutorial #7: Generate a static habitat map and summarize area in each class
 * Analysis of landscape configuration
 * Tutorial #8: Generate patch statistics and summarize area of the landscape in distance classes from a feature Spatial graphs for analysis of habitat connectivity
 * Demonstration #2: Extract spatial graph and perform multi-scale analysis of connectivity.

How SELES models work
SELES models consists of:
 * Set of raster layers
 * Set of gobal variables and constants
 * Together, these define the state variables and the initial state of the model
 * A number of landscape events and agents
 * These define the dynamic behaviour of the model

Landscape Events/Agents

 * Each process or agent of change is specified as a landscape event
 * The description of a landscape event defines its recurrence frequency and spatial domain
 * When and where an event should occur
 * Includes a definition of behaviour
 * How the event spreads and what effect it has on the state of the model

Landscape Events/Agents Context
Hierarchical Dynamic State
 * Context refers to the level of hierarchy at which a given event property or variable is accessible, can be influenced, or can influence other variables or properties
 * Can be spatial or aspatial

Landscape Events/Agents Properties

 * Landscape events are constructed from a series of properties, each with a unique purpose for controlling event behaviour
 * Preliminary Assignments
 * allow state changes that occur prior to the evaluation of the properties main expression
 * Usually for initializing state-space for main expression
 * Main Expression
 * Defines the value for that property
 * Consequent assignments
 * evaluated after the main expression
 * Allow state changes to occur in cells initiated or activated by the main expression

Landscape Event Properties

 * Initial State: number of initial instances of the event
 * Return Time: interval of time between successive instances of the event
 * Event Location: the set of cells in which the event can potentially initiate
 * Number of Clusters: the number of cells in which the event will initiate
 * Probability of Initiation: the relative or absolute probability that the event will initiate in a particular cell
 * Transitions: whether the event occurs in a cell or not
 * Spread Rate: interval of time required for an event to spread from the current cell to its neighbours.
 * Spread Location: the set of cells to which an event can potentially spread from a cell
 * Probability of Spread: the absolute or relative probability that the event will spread to a particular cell
 * Number of Spread Recipients: the number of cells to which the event will spread from an affected cell

Landscape Event Properties Example – Simple Fire Event

 * Raster Layers: forest age
 * Global Variables: mean fire size, mean fires per year
 * Cluster Variables: fire size
 * Return Time
 * Main Expression: once per year
 * Event Location
 * Main Expression: the entire study area
 * Number of Clusters
 * Main Expression: pick value from neg. exponential with mean equal to mean fires per year
 * ProbInit
 * Main Expression: every cell in event location has equal probability of initiation
 * Transitions
 * Main Expression:
 * Fire starts and continues burning if the size of the fire is greater than one cell, and the forest is older than 10 years.
 * Consequent Assignments:
 * Set forest age to 0 in cells that have burned
 * Decrement the area left to burn by one cell
 * SpreadTimeStep
 * Main Expression: Immediate and sequential spreading
 * SpreadLocation
 * Main Expression: Spread to surrounding neighbours that are older than 50 years

File Structure and Syntax

 * SELES Wiki (www.seles.info)
 * Scenario files (.scn)
 * Seles_ScenarioLanguage.ppt
 * Model Definition files (.sel)
 * Seles_ModelLanguage.ppt
 * Landscape Event/Age files (.lse)
 * Seles_EventLanguage.ppt
 * Seles_Agents.ppt

Running and adapting existing SELES models

 * Configure and run a spreading event
 * Tutorial #5: Experiment with a spreading event
 * Tutorial #6: Modify and run a simple disturbance succession model
 * Create a simple non-spreading event
 * Tutorial #7: Generate a static habitat map and summarize area in each class
 * Analysis of landscape configuration
 * Tutorial #8: Generate patch statistics and summarize area of the landscape in distance classes from a feature Spatial graphs for analysis of habitat connectivity
 * Demonstration #2: Extract spatial graph and perform multi-scale analysis of connectivity.