Preliminary Design and Implementation of DSL3S-a Domain Specific Language for Spatial Simulation Scenarios

Spatial Simulation in the context of Geographic Information Systems has been used in the past decades to assess the evolution of spatial variables over time. Two main techniques have been applied to perform this kind of spatial analysis: Cellular Automata and Agent-based modelling. A spectrum of spatial simulation tools exists today to aid implementing a model of this genre, ranging from code libraries (Program-level tools), that support the coding activity, to pre-built models (or Model-level tools), that can be used by simple parametrisation. Somewhere in the middle of this spectrum lay Domain Specific Languages (DSL). Nevertheless, the choice of a simulation tool still entails a trade off between flexibility and the need of programming skills This article presents a different approach to spatial simulation in the GIS domain, through the employment of standards from the Object Management Group (OMG) to produce a graphical simulation language- DSL3S. This language provides a way to describes simulation models at higher level of abstraction, allowing faster development, reducing coding errors and increasing model readability.