About
Models and simulations
The use of simulation models has widely spread in recent years, in various fields of academic research. Models are being developed to represent and try to better understand all kinds of systems: population dynamics, epidemics, transportation systems, macro-scale systems, micro-scale systems, etc. In some scientific areas, models and in silico simulations have become essential to help study in vivo situations.
However, simulation models are necessarily a simplification of reality, and hypotheses have to be made when developing a model. Thus every model can (and needs to?) be questioned: Is it relevant to tackle the research question behind it? How to extract significant knowledge from the model? What kind of dynamics can it exhibit? How does each mechanism of the model impact those dynamics? Is every mechanism really necessary? These are just some of the many questions a model developer has to answer in order to really know and understand his/her model!
The eX Modelo school
During this week, you will learn a step by step model exploration methodology, including innovative sensitivity analysis, calibration, and validation techniques. This school will be organized around a strong theoretical component, various individual and group practical sessions, challenges, and moments to share about modelling practices. You will be invited to apply those techniques as we go, on a case study model adapted just for you! Invited speakers will also be presenting actual applications of these techniques in various fields of study (ecology, geography, epidemiology...), and time slots will be open in the programme for you to apply what you learned on your own model (if you have one, not mandatory at all!), with our help if necessary.
All the techniques you will learn during the school will be implemented through the OpenMOLE platform, which has been developed as an open source software at the Complex Systems Institute in Paris since 2008.
The eX Modelo school is meant to be interdisciplinary, so whatever your field of study is, as long as there is some modelling or simulation involved, you belong in this school!
Programme (Provisional)
| Sunday | ||
| 7pm | Beginning | Arrival at La Pépinière |
| 8pm | Welcome | Introductions |
| Monday | ||
| 8am | Breakfast | |
| 9am | Opening session | Introduction to the school // general presentation of the OpenMOLE platform and practice |
| 10:30am | Break | |
| 11am | Course + Practical | Presentation of the study model for the week. A guided tour of the interface. Stochastic replications. |
| 12:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2pm | Practical | Direct sampling experimental design and sensitivity analysis |
| 3:30pm | Break | |
| 4pm | Practical | Apply the notions learnt at this point (stochasticity, direct sampling, sensitivity analysis) |
| 5:30pm | Free time | |
| 6:30pm | Students short talks | 3-4 minutes presentations of participant research |
| 7:30pm | Dinner | |
| Tuesday | ||
| 8am | Breakfast | |
| 9am | Course + Practical | Fitness and calibration method |
| 10:30am | Break | |
| 11am | Practical | Calibration as an optimisation method |
| 12:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2pm | Course + Practical | Calibration profiles method and how to analyse the results |
| 3:30pm | Break | |
| 4pm | Course + Practical | Pattern Space Exploration method and how to analyse the results. |
| 5:30pm | Free time | |
| 6:30pm | OpenMOLE success story | PSE case study |
| 7:00pm | Students short talks | 3-4 minutes presentations of participant research |
| 8:00pm | Dinner | |
| Wednesday | ||
| 8am | Breakfast | |
| 9am | Course + Practical | Optional module: ODE formalism, Spatial sensitivity or ABC method |
| 10:30am | Break | |
| 11am | Course + Practical | Optional module: ODE formalism, Spatial sensitivity or ABC method |
| 12:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2pm | OpenMOLE success story | Profile case study |
| 2:30pm | Free time | Free ride session |
| 5:30pm | Announcement | Presentation of the challenge |
| 6:30pm | Challenge group formation | Disscussion around challenge themes and group formations |
| 7:30pm | Dinner | |
| Thursday | ||
| 8am | Breakfast | |
| 9am | Challenge day | Work in groups on the challenge |
| 12:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2pm | Challenge day | Work in groups on the challenge |
| 7:30pm | Dinner | |
| Friday | ||
| 8am | Breakfast | |
| 9am | Challenge restitution | Restitution by group |
| 11:30am | Closing session. | |
| 12:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2pm | Departure |
Trainers
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Romain Reuillon
UMR Géographie-cité (CNRS) / Institut des Systèmes Complexes (CNRS)
After my PhD, which focused on the distribution of stochastic simulation computation, I founded the OpenMOLE platform in 2008. Since then, I have orchestrated its development, participated in modelling work and supported researchers and doctoral students in their methodological questions on the evaluation of simulation models.
-
Mathieu Leclaire
Institut des Systèmes Complexes (CNRS)/UMR Géographie-cité (CNRS)
Arriving at the Institute of Complex Systems in 2008, I moved very early to the platform, whose development was only just beginning and which was not yet called OpenMOLE. Since then, I have been actively contributing to its development and to its community.
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Etienne DELAY @ElCep
CIRAD (Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement) - UR GREEN
To tackle the scientific challenges proposed by landscape dynamics and cooperation processes, I have developed a research methodology based on field work and companion modelling combined with the formalisation of the observed processes and agents based models. This approach offers the possibility to understand : spatial, social, cultural and / or economic conditions that take place on territories, and to provide prospective scenarios. Today, as a researcher at CIRAD, I am pursuing my research in two areas: modelling the emergence of cooperation and Companion Modelling approach, seeking to integrate it ever earlier into the co-construction process of model exploration approaches.
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Hélène Arduin
Cancer Research Center of Toulouse - Team 21 Epigenomics and Network Modelling of Heterogeneity in Immuno-oncology - UMR 1037 Inserm / Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier
I started using OpenMOLE two years ago during my PhD. The different methods on the platform (and the amazing OpenMOLE team) have been a great help to explore the simulation model I had developed, and to lead an extensive simulation study. I am currently designing another simulation model for my postdoc, looking forward to exploring it!
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Paul Chapron
Sustainable development researcher at IGN. I started using OpenMOLE around 2013. My interests are in OpenMOLE-assisted modeling methodology, visualization of OpenMOLE methods results, vulgarisation and diffusion of model exploration and a little bit of epistemology.
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François Lavallée
PhD student, LISC - INRAE
I work on modeling the spatial dynamics of an invasive clonal plant: the Japanese knotweed. The goal is to find optimal management techniques. I study the model with mathematical tools and simulations. I started using OpenMOLE software at the beginning of my PhD for calibration purpose, now I often use various methods to explore simulation models.
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and also: Juste Raimbault, Guillaume Chérel, Sébastien Rey-Coyrehourcq
Venue
La Pépinière, Châtenay-sur-Seine (77 - France)
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By train: Line R from Paris Gare de Lyon to Montereau-Fault-Yonne (1h) + Taxi (15 min)
Groups will be organised to share taxi rides.
Apply
The number of participants to the school being limited, we will ask everyone interested to fill in this short application form application.odt.
Application procedure
- Fill in the application form
- Prepare a short Resumé
- Send both documents by email to school AT exmodelo DOT org before the 12th February, 2021
Important dates
| Application deadline | 12th February, 2021 | Acceptance notification | 19th February, 2021 |
| Payement | February 19th - March 31st 2021 |
Fees
The fees for the eX Modelo school include full board from Sunday night to Friday afternoon at La Pépinière. The transportation is not included. The payement options will be Credit Card or "CNRS bon de commande". The online payement instructions will be exposed later to the selected participants.
- academic: 850€* (reduced for PhD students and MSc: 650€*)
- industry: 2000€*
* price excluding VAT: 20%
Contact
You can contact us via email at school AT exmodelo DOT org.
