Xianghua Zou , Hang Sun , Kai Liu , Mia M. Wu , Hong S. He
{"title":"Parallelization of forest landscape model to improve computational efficiency and simulation realism","authors":"Xianghua Zou , Hang Sun , Kai Liu , Mia M. Wu , Hong S. He","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103264","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest landscape models (FLMs) are computationally intensive because of complex spatial interactions simulated. The current FLMs use sequential processing that simulates from the upper left pixel of the landscape to the lower right pixel. Sequential processing has series shortcomings among which simulation time and realism are the bottlenecks. In this study, we present a parallel processing design embedded in the LANDIS forest landscape model. Specifically, we apply a spatial domain decomposition approach that assigns pixel subsets to individual cores, enabling parallel execution of species- and stand-level processes on each core, while dynamically reallocating subsets across cores to execute landscape-level processes, i.e., seed dispersal. We compare the simulation results between parallel and sequential processing to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the new design. Our result showed that when the number of pixels reaches millions parallel processing will save about 32.0–64.6 % of the time than sequential processing, for a 200-year simulation at 10-year time step. When the simulation time step is 1 year for a 200-year simulation, parallel processing can save 64.6–76.2 % of the time compared with sequential processing. Parallel processing improves simulation realism because it simulates multiple blocks simultaneously and performs multiple tasks, which is closer to the reality of species-level, stand-level, and seed dispersal processes. This study highlights the potential of parallel processing in improving the computational efficiency and simulation realism of FLMs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51024,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Informatics","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 103264"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ecological Informatics","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125002730","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Forest landscape models (FLMs) are computationally intensive because of complex spatial interactions simulated. The current FLMs use sequential processing that simulates from the upper left pixel of the landscape to the lower right pixel. Sequential processing has series shortcomings among which simulation time and realism are the bottlenecks. In this study, we present a parallel processing design embedded in the LANDIS forest landscape model. Specifically, we apply a spatial domain decomposition approach that assigns pixel subsets to individual cores, enabling parallel execution of species- and stand-level processes on each core, while dynamically reallocating subsets across cores to execute landscape-level processes, i.e., seed dispersal. We compare the simulation results between parallel and sequential processing to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the new design. Our result showed that when the number of pixels reaches millions parallel processing will save about 32.0–64.6 % of the time than sequential processing, for a 200-year simulation at 10-year time step. When the simulation time step is 1 year for a 200-year simulation, parallel processing can save 64.6–76.2 % of the time compared with sequential processing. Parallel processing improves simulation realism because it simulates multiple blocks simultaneously and performs multiple tasks, which is closer to the reality of species-level, stand-level, and seed dispersal processes. This study highlights the potential of parallel processing in improving the computational efficiency and simulation realism of FLMs.
期刊介绍:
The journal Ecological Informatics is devoted to the publication of high quality, peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of computational ecology, data science and biogeography. The scope of the journal takes into account the data-intensive nature of ecology, the growing capacity of information technology to access, harness and leverage complex data as well as the critical need for informing sustainable management in view of global environmental and climate change.
The nature of the journal is interdisciplinary at the crossover between ecology and informatics. It focuses on novel concepts and techniques for image- and genome-based monitoring and interpretation, sensor- and multimedia-based data acquisition, internet-based data archiving and sharing, data assimilation, modelling and prediction of ecological data.