A General Formalism for Multidimensional Space-Time Discrete Structured Grid Modelling

Computational structured grids are often adopted in the simulation of complex systems, since they offer a good trade off between accuracy and efficiency [1]. Different formal models have been proposed in Literature to describe the computational process on the grid, such as Extended Cellular Automata [1] and Cellular Automata Neworks [3]. Here we propose a new formalism called Structure+ with the aim of modeling multidimensional space-time discrete complex systems by means of one or more structured grids, each one with its own dimensionality and dimension. Both local and global transition rules can be defined to permit the different grids to evolve. Interface operators, like aggregation and disaggregation functions, can also be defined to allow the different domains to communicate and synchronize. A first example of a coupled surface to groundwater hydrological model is presented. Considerations about parallel computational aspects are eventually discussed.