1. Integrating GIS-Based Geo-Atom Theory and Voxel Automata to Simulate the Dispersal of Airborne Pollutants.
- Author
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Jjumba, Anthony and Dragicevic, Suzana
- Subjects
GEOGRAPHIC information systems ,POLLUTANTS ,CELLULAR automata ,SIMULATION methods & models ,ADVECTION-diffusion equations - Abstract
Environmental processes are usually conceptualized as complex systems whose dynamics are best understood by examining the relationships and interactions of their constituent parts. The cellular automata paradigm, as a bottom-up modeling approach, has been widely used to study the macroscopic behavior of these complex natural processes. However, the cellular automata models are largely restricted to the two-dimensional spatial perspective even though the process dynamics they represent evolve in the three spatial dimensions. The objective of this study is to develop a voxel-based automata approach for modeling the propagation of airborne pollutants in three-dimensional space over time. The GIS-based geo-atom theory was used to manage the data within the automaton. The simulation results indicate the model has the capability to generate effective four-dimensional (4 D) simulations from simple transition rules that describe the processes of particle advection and diffusion. The application of voxel-based automata and the geo-atom concepts allows for a detailed 4 D analysis and tracking of the changes in the voxel space at every time-step. The proposed modeling approach provides new means to examine the relationships between pattern and process in 4 D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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