Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
8.2.1.3 Agent-Based Model
Since the 1990s, with the rapid development of computational power, agent-based
models began to be applied in LUCC research, and agent models for Land Use and
Cover Change (ABM/LUCC) studies have been gradually developed (Evans and
Kelley
2004
). Agent-based model has high flexibility. However, the flexibility of
ABM model increases the uncertainty of the model and thus brings the difficulties
for model validation. Agent-based model strives to simulate the individual and
group behavior together, but the individual decision-making behavior is diverse
and complicated. In addition, previous research showed that ABM model is sen-
sitive to the climatic conditions, which gave credit to ABM on modeling the
impact of LUCC on climate.
8.2.1.4 Coupled Econometric and ABM Model
The combination of agent-based model and econometric model can simulate
complex decision problem of land use in a better way, so as to provide new
methods for simulation of land use dynamics.
Coupled econometric and ABM model in the areas of land use will get rec-
ognition and application in the future. The coupled model can simulate both
individual and group decision behaviors through considering the interaction
among the combination of micro and macro decisions at the same time. The
integration of econometric and agent-based model combines the process of social
and economic factors with land use dynamics. This integrated model can be used
not only in the simple scenario simulation of land use but also in complex scenario.
These two kinds of models are interconnected and interdependent on each other,
which constitute a complex system with hierarchical heterogeneity.
Among recent studies on land use models, Deng et al. (
2013b
) introduced a land
use change dynamic (LUCD) model embedded in regional climate model (RCM).
The Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) model is supposed as the optimal option for
constructing one of the constitute modules. The other module, agent-based mod-
ule, identifies land use change demand and vegetation change and provides land
use change simulation results which are the underlying surfaces needed by RCM.
By importing land use simulation results to regional climate modeling, the LUCD
is embedded in RCM. The coupled simulation system of LUCD and RCM will be
extraordinarily powerful in land surface system simulation. The innovation of
these studies lies in that current research could only simulate land cover changes
through vegetation change module in RCM and GCM but not the land use
changes. However, this study simulated land use dynamics, which is a break-
through in systematically reporting the land use change and its impact on surface
climate.
