Object-oriented systems analysis: modeling the world in data
Object-oriented systems analysis: modeling the world in data
Object oriented design with applications
Object oriented design with applications
Introduction: the nature of living systems
Behavioral Science
A research typology for object-oriented analysis and design
Communications of the ACM - Special issue on analysis and modeling in software development
Numerical recipes in C (2nd ed.): the art of scientific computing
Numerical recipes in C (2nd ed.): the art of scientific computing
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Object-oriented modelling techniques are used to construct a conceptual framework which defines the hierarchical levels and structures of a tree and connects processes from the different levels. At the tree level, combining functions with structure is a logical step towards a better understanding of growth dynamics. A generic tree growth simulation system conforming to the conceptual object framework is constructed. The essential part of the system is a tree, which consists of a large number of relatively simple structural units corresponding to shoots, buds and branch whorls. The development of the tree is driven by basic ecophysiological processes such as photosynthesis and respiration and controlled by principles of functional balance and pipe model theory. The application interface allows changes to the parameter values and the forms of the basic functions. In principle, the system can thus model the development of different tree species and different circumstances. The present implementation models the growth of young Scots pine; it is programmed using the C++ language. The basic units of the tree are linked together using list structures. They also carry the topology of the tree, which is visible in the interface of the application. The available methodologies for object-oriented modelling are promising for ecological projects, but the present lack of integrated tools covering analysis, design, and programming prevents their straightforward adoption.