Section: Application Domains

Application Domains

The main application domains of the Digiplante team are: Agriculture, Forestry, Ecology, Computer Graphics.

In the context of an increasing importance of the biomass ressources (both for alimentary or non-alimentary purposes), it is crucial to both predict and control crop yields or forest productions, both from a quantitative and qualitative points of view. Such goals can be achieved by proper simulations and optimization of the dynamic system modelling plant growth in interaction with the environment. We are mainly confronted to two types of optimization problems, direct optimization for the design of ideotypes and optimal control to design optimal cultivation modes (management of water, nitrogen, pesticide supplies).

Regarding ecology applications, they are mostly based on the techniques developed in functional landscape simulation and visualization. In our scope of research, the strategy is to study the impacts of several climatic scenari on landscape evolution: what is the consequence of an increase of 1 degree in temperature, what is the consequence of two conecutive years of drought...Some classical aspects in plant ecology (like seed dispersion and plant generations) should still be implemented to widen the scope of potential applications.

Finally, computer graphics and plant or forest visualization can be of great help for town and landscape planning, architectural projects, ecosystem management, but also video games or different types of simulators. A company born from AMAP (Bionatics) is specialized in this type of applications. The results of the Digiplante team on functional growth and functional landscapes is a key to improve plant realism and broaden the perspectives of applications.