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A Sustainable Fishing Simulation Using Mathematical Modelling and Database Access Through the World Wide Web A Sustainable Fishing Simulation Using Mathematical Modelingand Database Access Through the World Wide WebBy Vineet Kapur, DouglasTroy, and James OrisIntroductionThis paper describes a sustainable fishing simulation system accessibleover the World Wide Web (WWW). This is an interdisciplinary project thatcombines the fields of fishing ecology and computing. It uses a client-serverarchitecture consisting of a mathematical model, a database managementsystem, a WWW server, and WWW browsers. The goal of this simulation isto allow ecology students to learn about issues involved in environmentallysustainable fishing. We focus upon implementation of the user interface, database management,mathematical modeling, and WWW database connectivity required by the project. The following sections discuss the project goals, system implementation,and results of the simulation. The conclusion provides an overall assessmentof the project.Project GoalsA classic method for teaching students about environmentally sustainablefishing is through a simulation. Typically, these simulations are not carriedout in real time. Instead, students submit batch requests to the modelmaintainer (``fishing commissioner''), who later runs the simulation andprovides results to students. This process is functional, but does notprovide interactive feedback. This project aims to make this simulation real-time and directly accessibleto students over the WWW. Consequently, the students can think of the modelembedded in the World Wide Web as an ocean from which they can fish atany time and from any place that provides Internet access.The simulation is organized as follows. Fishing groups, consisting ofone or more students, are formed. Each fishing group is given five netsof varying type. The fish are divided into five age categories. Each nethas a capacity for catching different numbers and ages of fish. For eachfishing group, the goal of the simulation is to determine how its fivenets can be used to gain a consistent catch over a certain number of yearsand to maximize harvest points. Every fishing group determines its ownfishing strategy. To accomplish its goals, each group specifies how muchthey want to fish with each net. After all requests are submitted, theharvest value for each group is calculated and recorded. The harvest valueindicates the net worth of the catch for a particular group. At the end,students should grasp issues such as consequences of over-fishing, fishpopulation dynamics, etc. The simulation allows students to fish in an ocean as one of two kindsof groups: ordinary fishing fleets, and giant fishing consortia. Consortiaare generally considered to be more efficient than individual fleets. Inthis project, all the ordinary fishing fleets must fish from a single ocean(Ocean One) while the consortium groups fish from a separate ocean(Ocean Two).Different fishing strategies can be employed. Some groups may use theirnets to full capacity initially and earn many harvest points. However,in the process, they may kill inordinate numbers of fertile fish, causingthe population to propagate slowly. An interesting feature allows a groupto bribe the fishing commissioner and hence gain permission to use itsnets to a higher capacity than is allowed by law. With this feature, commonillegal behavior can be modeled. As a result, students learn about thefishing industry in a "real-world" fashion. In addition, a realfishing fleet could use this simulation tool to demonstrate the principlesinvolved in sustainable techniques.System ImplementationOverviewThe major components of the system (see Figure 1)are the user interface, implemented using a WWWbrowser with HTML forms; the database, used tostore information about groups, fish populations, etc.; the simulationmodel, implemented using Cold Fusion [1] and JavaScript[3]; and finally, the WWW serverwhich handles data transfer . Figure 1: Major components of the simulation system. User InterfaceIn order to use the system, a user must first log in either as an ordinaryfishing fleet, the fishing commissioner, or a consortium. The ordinaryfishing fleets and consortia submit requests to fish the ocean. The requestsconsist of a percentage of each of the five nets with which the group wantsto fish. The individual fleets and consortia can:submit fishing requests as net values, check their harvest results, and check current values of fish left in their respective oceans.The fishing commissioner can:run the model for regular fleets and the consortia once all the requestshave been submitted; check harvest results for each group in tabular and graphic form; change initial ocean values for Ocean-types One and Two; change group information; check fish values in each ocean after each fishing year; and charge harvest credits to groups as bribes or costs of operation.Some of the more trivial functions are not listed above. The systemwas designed so that new features and functions can be added to the systemon both the Fishing Fleet and Administration sides.The following figures provide some snapshots of the WWW pages. Figure2 shows the login page, Figure 3 displays the pagesused by groups to input net values, and Figure 4 showsthe graph of fish populations by year during one simulation run. Security was implemented using the "cookie" feature of theWWW. A cookie is a secure value associated with the machine wherethe browser is running. (See, for example, http://www.cookiecentral.com).For this project, cookies were used to store the identity of the user.The program checks for the existence of the cookie value each time a transactionis requested. If the value exists and matches the login identificationof the user, then the user is allowed to enter. Otherwise, the user islogged out of the system. Figure 2: Login Page. Figure 3: Page used to submit Net Requests. Figure 4: Graph of fish populations by year.DatabaseThe database was implemented with a database management system (DBMS)using the relational model [2] (see, for example, http://www.dataprep.com.my/techtalk/clientsv/cssn0203.htm).Embedded SQL was used to interface with the database because of its easeof use. Several tables were created to hold the data. Figure5 shows an Entity-Relationship diagram of the database. Tables werecreated with foreign key, primary key, and other relevant constraints.The table GROUPINFO contains essential group information like userid, password,etc. GROUPRESULTS contains group harvests by year and ocean for each group.MAXALLOWED contains the maximum percentage value for each net a group isallowed to fish with. MODELRESULTS contains fish populations by ocean andsize for each year. The OCEAN table contains current ocean sizes. Finally,the REQUEST table contains net requests for each group. Other minor tableswere created to support the above tables.  Figure 5: Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram of the database.Simulation ModelA mathematical model called the Harvest Calculation Model [6,5] was used to determine the fishing results foreach group. Dr. Roy Stein designed this model at Ohio State Universityin an advanced fisheries class. Dr. James Oris wrote the model for exercisesat Miami University based on his own knowledge of fish life cycles. Thismodel was used instead of others in the field because it had already beenused successfully by one of the authors[5]. Themodel uses the net values submitted by groups and fish sizes in the currentocean in order to calculate the number of fish caught. The code for themodel can be viewed as a text file at the address http://schabetc.sas.muohio.edu/vkapur/fish/admin/fishmodel.txtand works as follows: The net values submitted by groups are converted into efficiency valuesranging from zero to one, or higher than one if nets are used illegallyto a higher capacity than allowed by law. The model recalculates the fish populations for each fish size classin the ocean based on a series of equations developed by ecologists. The model calculates the number of fish caught by the group. The model converts the number of fish caught by each group into a valuecalled harvest-credit, which numerically represents the yield for eachgroup depending on the types of fish caught.After all the requests arrive, the fishing commissioner runs the modeltwice, once for Ocean One which catered to the individual fleets,and again forOcean Two which catered to the consortia. Afterwards,a harvest value for each group is calculated and stored in the databasefor every fishing year. At the same time, the fish populations for eachocean are updated.The mathematics and processing were implemented using Cold Fusion, whichsupports a language called CFML (Cold Fusion Markup Language) [1].CFML interfaces with the Internet Information Server and acts similarlyto a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script. HTML and JavaScript[3] code was embedded in CFML. CFML was chosenover other languages for the major functions due to its ease of use withembedded SQL and its simple integration with JavaScript and HTML. JavaScriptwas used to create the user interface (e.g. buttons, dynamic links, etc.)and to create graphs from data supplied by the Cold Fusion component.WWW ServerThe project was completed using a Windows NT Internet Information Server,and a Microsoft SQL Server database management system [4].Windows NT was chosen over other platforms because familiar tools likedatabase servers, spreadsheets, and visual programming languages can beeasily integrated with the WWW server. This provides flexibility if themodel were to be expanded. For example, if certain extraneous data storedin a familiar spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel were to be used in the future,the developer would not have to write a program from scratch to interfacewith it. They could just use the existing ODBC connectivity services. Incontrast, other systems would require low level coding to extract thiskind of data and convert it into a usable format.The code to implement the system is organized into three categories:login code, used by groups and administration to log in, administration code, used by the fishing commissioner to run the model,maintain the oceans, add groups, etc.; and, fishing fleets/consortium code, used by the fishing groups to submitrequests and view results.ConclusionThis project provides an interactive, real-time interface for a fishingecology simulation. Ecology students throughout the nation can use thissimulation to understand issues associated with sustainable fishing. Afterobtaining a secure account on the system, students can use the simulationfrom any place in the world that provides Internet access. Programs suchas this, which involve many users and need to provide quick results, canonly be successful over a network when requests from all parties can beserviced in real-time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the firsttime an educational fishing simulation has been implemented in this manner.This interdisciplinary project revealed the intricacies of applyingcomputing tools to another field of study. Perhaps one of the greatestdifficulties involved making the interface user-friendly. Effort was madeto minimize scrolling, and to make the menu items sensible. To focus theuser on the simulation, the interface was designed to restrict use of genericWWW functions (for example, the standard browser toolbar is not shown).All user interface elements needed are incorporated into the simulationWWW pages themselves.Later on, new features will be added to the project. Perhaps the modelwill become more sophisticated and inclusive. The user interface will continuallybe improved based upon suggestions from users. For example, in the futurethe results may be displayed in different formats for different groups.Overall, many cosmetic and technical features could be added to enhanceusability. Another addition would be groupware features that support collaborationamong users, such as a messaging facility or a chat room.In conclusion, the project was successful in meeting its goal to createan educational product. The best way to appraise its merits would be touse it on the World Wide Web at the address http://schabetc.sas.muohio.edu/vkapur/fish.htm.Currently, the database access and server programs only work on a WindowsNT based system. Portability to another system will require re-coding.However, since the logic behind construction of this system has alreadybeen clearly established, re-coding should be straightforward.References1Cold Fusion 3.0 User Guide. http://www.allaire.com/products/coldfusion/30/CFDOCS/index.htm,verified July 7, 1997. 2Date, C.J. An Introduction to Database Systems, Reading, Massachusetts:Addison-Wesley, 1995. 3JavaScript Reference. http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/Gold/handbook/javascript/index.html,verified July 7, 1997. 4Microsoft SQL Help Reference Manual. Microsoft SQL Server Version 6.55Oris, J.T. Stella Model for Fish Population Structure Analysis,Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, OH (unpublished), 1995.6Stein, R.A. Sustainable Use Fish Harvesting Exercise, Departmentof Zoology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (unpublished), 1988. AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks to Dr. Thomas Schaber for supplying the web server platformand necessary software for this project and Chris Barrett who contributedideas used in the database design.About the AuthorsVineet Kapur (http://phoenix.sas.muohio.edu/~vkapur; vkapur@phoenix.sas.muohio.edu) graduated from Miami University in May 1997 with a BS (Honors) in SystemsAnalysis. He is interested in anything to do with Biomedical/Biologicalcomputing. Douglas Troy is a professor in the Systems AnalysisDepartment, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He holds a PhD from the Universityof Waikato, New Zealand. His research activities are in software developmentmethods and tools.James Oris is a professor of Zoology and the Co-Directorof the Environmental Toxicology and Statistics Institute at Miami University.He holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He is involved in thedevelopment of multimedia materials for use in the environmental scienceclassroom.Want more Crossroads articles about Interdisciplinary Computer Science?Get a listing or go tothe next one orthe previous one.Last Modified:Location: www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds4-1/fish.html |
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