Stochastic Cellular Automata in Dynamic Environmental Modeling: Practical Applications

Abstract

This article presents the key aspects of an intuitive programming approach based on a Cellular automata technique providing an effective, easy to understand tool to describe some real processes. Although for many years most physical effects have been described by the language of differential equations, it may be beneficial in this era of cheap computing power to deploy a new descriptive apparatus based on very simple programs rather than mathematical equations, which are not always capable of capturing nature's most essential mechanisms, including the randomness in physics. Based on these assumptions, the term 'intuitive programming' is used to refer to a system of simple programs with transparent yet complex behavior. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated in a case study of a deteriorating bridge within a dynamic environment with several approaches to stochastic effects.