Robert Muetzelfeldt topic

Robert Muetzelfeldt is an independent academic interested in ecological and environmental modelling.   He used to work in the University of Edinburgh, Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, as a lecturer in ecological modelling.  

He is now an Honorary Fellow in the School of Informatics.  He is also on the board of Simulistics Ltd, a software company that has developed Simile, a visual modelling environment for the ecological and environmental sciences.

His particular interest is in improving the way we make and share computer models.   At the moment, most of the models used in ecological and environmental research are implemented as computer programs written in a conventional programming language such as Fortran or C++.   This makes it difficult and time-consuming to develop the models, and difficult for other people to understand them.  

This is a rather serious matter, given the importance of these models in tackling issues that affect us all, such as pollution, sustainable resource use, and climate change.  

The alternative is a declarative modelling approach, which allows the structure of the model to be represented independently of the program used to run it.   Robert has been exploring and promoting this approach for some years.  The Simile modelling environment, which he helped develop, demonstrates that this approach is feasible and can handle the complexity of large ecological and environmental models.

Apart from this, Robert has a general interest in the computer-based representation of ecological knowledge, including research results and the arguments used in addressing environmental issues.