A simulation model of the long-distance migration of Helicoverpa spp moths

This paper describes a simulation model of the long-distance migration of the moths Helicoverpa punctigera and H. armigera. The model is a component of a wide-area simulation model of Helicoverpa spp. population dynamics in inland and eastern Australia. The wide-area Helicoverpa model will form the basis of a proposed system for forecasting migrations of moths from the inland to the summer cropping areas of the east, where they cause significant economic damage. The migration model was implemented using the object-oriented class library of the generic model GenSIM. The flexibility of the migration model was maximised by specifying simple, standard interfaces for its submodels, enabling the ready substitution of one submodel for another. Since this paper was presented, the role of GenSIM has shifted away from providing a shell for the development of aggregate models. It now focuses on the less ambitious task of implementing models which fit well into such aggregate models. In particular, it supports the linking of models to geographic information systems, such as that which now provides the shell for the wide-area Helicoverpa model