A high-performance cellular automata model for urban simulation based on vectorization and parallel computing technology

Cellular automata (CA) models can simulate complex urban systems through simple rules and have become important tools for studying the spatio-temporal evolution of urban land use. However, the multiple and large-volume data layers, massive geospatial processing and complicated algorithms for automatic calibration in the urban CA models require a high level of computational capability. Unfortunately, the limited performance of sequential computation on a single computing unit (i.e. a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU)) and the high cost of parallel design and programming make it difficult to establish a high-performance urban CA model. As a result of its powerful computational ability and scalability, the vectorization paradigm is becoming increasingly important and has received wide attention with regard to this kind of computational problem. This paper presents a high-performance CA model using vectorization and parallel computing technology for the computation-intensive and data-intensive geospatial processing in urban simulation. To transfer the original algorithm to a vectorized algorithm, we define the neighborhood set of the cell space and improve the operation paradigm of neighborhood computation, transition probability calculation, and cell state transition. The experiments undertaken in this study demonstrate that the vectorized algorithm can greatly reduce the computation time, especially in the environment of a vector programming language, and it is possible to parallelize the algorithm as the data volume increases. The execution time for the simulation of 5-m resolution and 3 × 3 neighborhood decreased from 38,220.43 s to 803.36 s with the vectorized algorithm and was further shortened to 476.54 s by dividing the domain into four computing units. The experiments also indicated that the computational efficiency of the vectorized algorithm is closely related to the neighborhood size and configuration, as well as the shape of the research domain. We can conclude that the combination of vectorization and parallel computing technology can provide scalable solutions to significantly improve the applicability of urban CA.     

How much past to see the future: a computational study in calibrating urban cellular automata

The objective of this computational study was to investigate to which extent the availability and the way of use of historical maps may affect the quality of the calibration process of cellular automata (CA) urban models. The numerical experiments are based on a constrained CA applied to a case study. Since the model depends on a large number of parameters, we optimize the CA using cooperative coevolutionary particle swarms, which is an approach known for its ability to operate effectively in search spaces with a high number of dimensions. To cope with the relevant computational cost related to the high number of CA simulations required by our study, we use a parallelized CA model that takes advantage of the computing power of graphics processing units. The study has shown that the accuracy of simulations can be significantly influenced by both the number and position in time of the historical maps involved in the calibration.     

Estimation of Blast-Induced Air Overpressure in Quarry Mines Using Cubist-Based Genetic Algorithm

In the present work, blast-induced air overpressure is estimated by an innovative intelligence system based on the cubist algorithm (CA) and genetic algorithm (GA) with high accuracy, called GA–CA model. Herein, CA initialization model was developed first and the hyper-parameters of the CA model were selected randomly. Subsequently, the GA procedure was applied to perform a global search for the optimized values of the hyper-factors of the CA model. Root-mean-square error (RMSE) is utilized as a compatibility function to determine the optimal CA model with the lowest RMSE. Gaussian process (GP), conditional inference tree (CIT), principal component analysis (PCA), hybrid neural fuzzy inference system (HYFIS) and k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) models are also developed as the benchmark models in order to compare and analyze the quality of the proposed GA–CA algorithm; 164 blasting works were investigated at a quarry mine of Vietnam for this aim. The results revealed that GA significantly improved the performance of the CA model. Based on the statistical indices used for model assessment, the proposed GA–CA model was confirmed as the most superior model as compared to the other models (i.e., GP, CIT, HYFIS, PCA, k-NN). It can be applied as a robust soft computing tool for estimating blast-induced air overpressure.

     

基于遗传算法自动获取CA模型的参数

本文提出了基于遗传算法来寻找CA模型最佳参数的方法。CA被越来越多地应用于城市和土地利用等复杂系统的动态模拟。CA模型中变量的参数值对模拟结果有非常重要的影响。如何获取理想的参数值是模型的关键。传统的逻辑回归模型运算简单,常常用来获取模型的参数值,要求解释变量间线性无关,所以获取的城市CA模型参数具有一定的局限性。遗传算法在参数优化组合、快速搜索参数值方面有很大的优势。本文利用遗传算法来自动获取优化的CA模型参数值,并获得了纠正后的CA模型。将该模型应用于东莞1988~2004年的城市发展的模拟中,得到了较好的效果。研究结果表明,遗传算法可以有效地自动获取CA模型的参数,其模拟的结果要比传统的逻辑回归校正的CA模型模拟精度高。     

Calibration of Genetic Algorithm Parameters for Mining-Related Optimization Problems

Genetic algorithms (GA) are widely used to solve engineering optimization problems. The quality and performance of the solution generated strongly depend on the selection of the GA parameter values (crossover and mutation rates and population size). We propose an approach based on full factorial and response surface methodology experimental designs to calibrate GA parameters such that the objective function is maximized/minimized and the relative importance of the parameters is quantified. The approach was tested by applying it to stope optimization of underground mines, where profit can vary ±?7% based solely on GA parameters. Results showed that: (1) a larger population size did not always increase solution time; (2) solution time was positively related to crossover and mutation rates; and (3) simultaneous analysis of solution time and profit illustrated the trade-off between acceptable computing time and profit desirability through GA parameter selection. This approach can be used to calibrate parameters of other metaheuristics.

     

Calibration of an urban cellular automaton model by using statistical techniques and a genetic algorithm. Application to a small urban settlement of NW Spain

Cellular automata (CA) stand out among the most commonly used urban models for the simulation and analysis of urban growth because of their ability to reproduce complex dynamics, similar to those found in real cities, from simple rules. However, CA models still have to overcome some shortcomings related to their flexibility and difficult calibration. This study combines various techniques to calibrate an urban CA that is based on one of the most widely used urban CA models. First, the number of calibration parameters is reduced by using various statistical techniques, and, second, the calibration procedure is automated through a genetic algorithm. The resulting model has been assessed by simulating the urban growth of Ribadeo, a small village of NW Spain, characterized by low, slow urban growth, which makes the identification of urban dynamics and consequently the calibration of the model more difficult. Simulation results have shown that, by automating the calibration procedure, the model can be more easily applied and adapted to urban areas with different characteristics and dynamics. In addition, the simulations obtained with the proposed model show better values of cell-to-cell correspondence between simulated and real maps, and the values for most spatial metrics are closer to real ones.     

Self-modifying CA model using dual ensemble Kalman filter for simulating urban land-use changes

There are many different methods to calibrate cellular automata (CA) models for better simulation results of urban land-use changes. However, few studies have been reported on combination of parameter update and error control using local data in CA calibration procedures. This paper presents a self-modifying CA model (SM-CA) that uses the dual ensemble Kalman filter (dual EnKF), which enables the CA model to simultaneously update model parameters and simulation results by merging observation data (local data). We applied the proposed model to simulate urban land-use changes in a 13-year period (1993–2005) in Dongguan City, a rapidly urbanizing region in south China. Simulation results indicate that this model yields better simulation results than the conventional logistic-regression CA and decision-tree CA models. For example, the validation is carried out using cross-tabulation matrix. The simulation results of SM-CA have allocation disagreement of 10.18%, 19.64%, and 30.03% in 1997, 2001, and 2005, respectively, which are 2.12%, 2.47%, and 6% lower than conventional logistic-regression CA models.     

A new discovery of transition rules for cellular automata by using cuckoo search algorithm

This paper presents an intelligent approach to discover transition rules for cellular automata (CA) by using cuckoo search (CS) algorithm. CS algorithm is a novel evolutionary search algorithm for solving optimization problems by simulating breeding behavior of parasitic cuckoos. Each cuckoo searches the best upper and lower thresholds for each attribute as a zone. When the zones of all attributes are connected by the operator ‘And’ and linked with a cell status value, one CS-based transition rule is formed by using the explicit expression of ‘if-then’. With two distinct advantages of efficient random walk of Lévy flights and balanced mixing, CS algorithm performs well in both local search and guaranteed global convergence. Furthermore, the CA model with transition rules derived by CS algorithm (CS-CA) has been applied to simulate the urban expansion of Nanjing City, China. The simulation produces encouraging results, in terms of numeric accuracy and spatial distribution, in agreement with the actual patterns. Preliminary results suggest that this CS approach is well suitable for discovering reliable transition rules. The model validation and comparison show that the CS-CA model gets a higher accuracy than NULL, BCO-CA, PSO-CA, and ACO-CA models. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of applying CS algorithm to discover transition rules of CA for simulating geographical systems.     

Optimal spatial land-use allocation for limited development ecological zones based on the geographic information system and a genetic ant colony algorithm

Limited development ecological zones (LDEZs) are often located in poverty-stricken, ecologically vulnerable areas where ethnic minorities reside. Studies on optimal spatial land-use allocation in LDEZs can promote economic and intensive land use, improve soil quality, facilitate local socioeconomic development, and maintain environmental stability. In this study, we optimized spatial land-use allocations in an LDEZ using the geographic information system (GIS) and a genetic ant colony algorithm (GACA). The multi-objective function considers economic benefits and ecological green equivalents, and improves soil erosion. We developed the GACA by integrating a genetic algorithm (GA) with an ant colony algorithm (ACA). This avoids a large number of redundant iterations and the low efficiency of the GA, and the slow convergence speed of the ACA. The study area is located in Pengyang County, Ningxia, China, which is a typical LDEZ. The land-use data were interpreted from remote sensing (RS) images and GIS. We determined the optimal spatial land-use allocations in the LDEZ using the GACA in the GIS environment. We compared the original and optimal spatial schemes in terms of economic benefits, ecological green equivalents, and soil erosion. The results of the GACA were superior to the original allocation, the ACA, and the multi-objective genetic algorithm, in terms of the optimum, time, and robust performance indexes. We also present some suggestions for the reasonable development and protection of LDEZs.     

A multi-type ant colony optimization (MACO) method for optimal land use allocation in large areas

Optimizing land use allocation is a challenging task, as it involves multiple stakeholders with conflicting objectives. In addition, the solution space of the optimization grows exponentially as the size of the region and the resolution increase. This article presents a new ant colony optimization algorithm by incorporating multiple types of ants for solving complex multiple land use allocation problems. A spatial exchange mechanism is used to deal with competition between different types of land use allocation. This multi-type ant colony optimization optimal multiple land allocation (MACO-MLA) model was successfully applied to a case study in Panyu, Guangdong, China, a large region with an area of 1,454,285 cells. The proposed model took only about 25 minutes to find near-optimal solution in terms of overall suitability, compactness, and cost. Comparison indicates that MACO-MLA can yield better performances than the simulated annealing (SA) and the genetic algorithm (GA) methods. It is found that MACO-MLA has an improvement of the total utility value over SA and GA methods by 4.5% and 1.3%, respectively. The computation time of this proposed model amounts to only 2.6% and 12.3%, respectively, of that of the SA and GA methods. The experiments have demonstrated that the proposed model was an efficient and effective optimization technique for generating optimal land use patterns.     

基于GA-SVM封装算法的高光谱数据特征选择

封装型的特征选择算法相对于过滤算法而言更有助于提高分类精度,因此在当前计算技术及效率快速发展的背景下必将成为未来之趋势。本文以支持向量机(SVM)为分类器,遗传算法(GA)为特征子集的搜索算法,构建了封装型的特征选择算法GA-SVM,并用ENVI/IDL语言编程实现,最后以HYPERION高光谱数据为例对算法予以应用。结果表明,GA-SVM算法可从196个波段中选择出13个波段,同时分类精度较不做特征选择时提高了约4%。由此可见,GA-SVM封装型特征选择算法具有较好的同时优化特征子集和SVM核函数的性能,可为当前高光谱数据的特征选择提供一个较好的算法。     

基于耗费场的最优路径算法研究

在GIS中,有一类应用是基于连续分布耗费场的最优路径计算问题,如公路选线等。该文首先采用规则格网对耗费场进行建模,进而基于规则格网表现,分别建立网络实现模型和元胞自动机实现模型,并探讨了基于元胞自动机模型的最优路径算法,通过实例研究,说明了算法的正确性。     

腾格里沙漠东南缘不同生境油蒿种群的数量动态

对腾格里沙漠东南缘不同的生境条件（包括始建于1964年的人工植被区和天然植被区）下油蒿（Artemisia ordosica）种群调查取样,按照植株的体积大小分为7个龄级（Ⅰ,0~2 cm³;Ⅱ,2~5 cm³;Ⅲ,5~10 cm³;Ⅳ,10~15 cm³;Ⅴ,15~20 cm³;Ⅵ,20~30 cm³;Ⅶ,>30 cm³）,分析了种群的组成、静态生命表和存活曲线。结果表明：人工植被区油蒿种群的总体规模大于天然植被区,幼龄个体占有很高的比例;天然植被区油蒿的死亡率低于人工植被区,天然植被区Ⅰ和Ⅱ龄级油蒿种群的死亡率最高,人工植被区Ⅴ~Ⅶ龄级的油蒿种群死亡率最高;天然植被区油蒿种群的稳定性维持主要通过幼苗的更新,而人工植被区可通过幼苗的自我更新和大龄植株的自疏作用;Ⅴ龄级的油蒿个体是种群中的生存质量最佳的个体;两种生境下油蒿种群均符合Deevey Ⅱ型存活曲线。     

水质模型参数的非数值随机优化

以模拟退火算法为核心着重讨论了水质模型参数的非数值随机优化方法。实例分析表明,利用非数值随机优化方法(包括模拟退火算法和遗传算法)对水质模型参数进行估计,可以获得较为理想的结果。不同参数估计方法的比较进一步阐述了非数值随机优化方法在参数估计中的优点     

遗传算法和GIS结合进行空间优化决策

资源的有效利用和管理往往涉及到空间的优化配置问题。例如需要在空间上确定n个设施的最佳位置。当选址问题涉及多个目标和不同的约束性条件时,就会变得十分复杂。利用一般的brute-force搜索方法无法对涉及高维数据的问题进行求解。利用遗传算法和GIS结合来解决复杂的空间优化配置问题,具有智能的搜索方法可以大大提高空间的搜索能力。在基于进化的优化过程中,根据GIS的空间数据来计算不同解决方案 (染色体) 的适应度。针对不同的应用目的,GIS可以给出不同的适应度函数。实验表明,所提出的方法比简单的搜索方法和退火算法有更大的优越性。该方法在处理复杂的空间优化问题有更好的表现。     

A travel time-based variable grid approach for an activity-based cellular automata model

Urban growth and population growth are used in numerous models to determine their potential impacts on both the natural and the socio-economic systems. Cellular automata (CA) land-use models became popular for urban growth modelling since they predict spatial interactions between different land uses in an explicit and straightforward manner. A common deficiency of land-use models is that they only deal with abstract categories, while in reality, several activities are often hosted at one location (e.g. population, employment, agricultural yield, nature…). Recently, a multiple activity-based variable grid CA model was proposed to represent several urban activities (population and economic activities) within single model cells. The distance-decay influence rules of the model included both short- and long-distance interactions, but all distances between cells were simply Euclidean distances. The geometry of the real transportation system, as well as its interrelations with the evolving activities, were therefore not taken into account. To improve this particular model, we make the influence rules functions of time travelled on the transportation system. Specifically, the new algorithm computes and stores all travel times needed for the variable grid CA. This approach provides fast run times, and it has a higher resolution and more easily modified parameters than the alternative approach of coupling the activity-based CA model to an external transportation model. This paper presents results from one Euclidean scenario and four different transport network scenarios to show the effects on land-use and activity change in an application to Belgium. The approach can add value to urban scenario analysis and the development of transport- and activity-related spatial indicators, and constitutes a general improvement of the activity-based CA model.     

基于GIS的二维非结构化剖分网格优化

非结构化网格剖分是数值模拟的关键技术之一,网格质量直接影响到计算的收敛性和精确度。在GIS辅助建立非结构化网格空间拓扑关系的基础上,针对GIS和实际研究问题给出Spring-Laplace方法——一种新的单元尺度函数定义,在GIS空间算法下利用该方法优化节点位置,并基于推进阵面算法的思想,结合空间邻近拓扑关系实现了三角剖分节点和网格的重新编号算法,方便了开边界条件的赋值,提高了计算效率。实例表明,该方法大大提高了网格生成质量,能适应FVCOM数值模型对非结构化网格剖分的要求,其收敛速度快,具有较高的运算效率。     

Geographically weighted regression with parameter-specific distance metrics

Geographically weighted regression (GWR) is an important local technique to model spatially varying relationships. A single distance metric (Euclidean or non-Euclidean) is generally used to calibrate a standard GWR model. However, variations in spatial relationships within a GWR model might also vary in intensity with respect to location and direction. This assertion has led to extensions of the standard GWR model to mixed (or semiparametric) GWR and to flexible bandwidth GWR models. In this article, we present a strongly related extension in fitting a GWR model with parameter-specific distance metrics (PSDM GWR). As with mixed and flexible bandwidth GWR models, a back-fitting algorithm is used for the calibration of the PSDM GWR model. The value of this new GWR model is demonstrated using a London house price data set as a case study. The results indicate that the PSDM GWR model can clearly improve the model calibration in terms of both goodness of fit and prediction accuracy, in contrast to the model fits when only one metric is singly used. Moreover, the PSDM GWR model provides added value in understanding how a regression model’s relationships may vary at different spatial scales, according to the bandwidths and distance metrics selected. PSDM GWR deals with spatial heterogeneities in data relationships in a general way, although questions remain on its model diagnostics, distance metric specification, and computational efficiency, providing options for further research.     

秦巴山区植被固定CO2释放O2生态价值测评

根据陕南秦巴山区植被类型及覆盖度的差异 ,利用改进型的自然植被NPP测算模型 ,结合区域能量平衡、水量平衡和蒸散模式 ,测定了植被有机质生产物质量。在此基础上 ,根据光合作用方程及造林成本法与工业制氧法测定了秦巴山区植被固定CO2 释放O2 的经济价值。研究结果 :①秦巴山区植被每年固定CO2 总量为 13 5× 10 7t/a ,释放O2 总量为 9 93× 10 7t/a ;②利用造林成本法估算出秦巴山区植被固定CO2 总经济价值为 35 2 2 4× 10 7元 /a ;③利用造林成本法与工业制氧法估算出秦巴山区植被释放O2 经济价值为 374 19× 10 8元 /a ;④本区植被固定CO2 释放O2 物质量和价值量中 ,温带落叶阔叶林贡献率最高 ,其次是亚热带落叶灌丛。本研究可为区域“绿色经济账户”的建立提供基础数据和方法。     

地形位指数模型改进及其在植被覆盖评价中的应用

地形作为影响植被覆盖的重要因素,对植被恢复评价以及生态修复规划意义重大。地形位作为测度地形因子综合效应的指标,具有单一地形因子难以比拟的优势。然而,现有地形位指数算法以整个研究区为参照,未考虑空间异质性,难以反映植被生长的局部环境特征。基于地理学第三定律对地理环境相似的强调,融合“空间位置邻近”和“环境特征相似”,对传统地形位模型进行改进：(1)引入局部窗口算法,以突出局部地形特征;(2)在不同生境因子组合下测算地形位指数,以排除环境差异对地形位作用的干扰。案例研究表明,新模型有效提升了地形位指数对植被覆盖水平的解释力度;当考虑生境因子组合,且采用最优窗口时,局部窗口地形位指数与植被覆盖度之间的相关性最高。此外,通过观察不同生境组合下的地形位指数发现,在高热少水阴坡和高热少水阳坡条件下,植被覆盖度与局部窗口地形位指数具有更高相关性;可见,越是水资源相对匮乏区域,植被覆盖对局部窗口地形位的响应越敏感。本文有望为植被恢复评价与规划提供新的指标。