An object-oriented data-driven migration model

This research uses object-oriented simulation to derive the migratory patterns of animal populations. These patterns are then compared with the trajectories of aquatic pollutant releases to yield quantitative biological impact assessments. These estimates are more realistic than those based on assumptions of uniform or random distributions of animals in a region--a common approach to this problem. The general migration model (MIGMOD) employs stochastic movement routines driven by biological field data to derive heterogenous migration patterns similar to those observed in nature. This data-driven approach circumvents many of the difficulties involved in migratory modelling from first principles. However, we also discuss the importance of selected causal mechanisms in these models.