Project description
This project will focus on the planning, development, and evaluation of a simulation-based serious game for modelling the spread of fruit fly populations. South Australia is currently the only mainland state where fruit flies have not become established, and maintaining this status is vital for the continuing success of the region’s horticulture industry. Changes in fruit fly numbers can be affected by various environmental, political, and social factors. This could include the landscape, weather, temperature, availability of food sources, and restrictions to travel and overseas imports (such as those caused by the COVID pandemic). This research project will be conducted in collaboration with SARDI-PIRSA, who are currently involved with various existing programs that attempt to control fruit fly populations. One example technique is the release of sterile fruit flies into the wider population (SIT), the effect of which can be simulated within our developed game. The success of this research will be measured based on the developed game’s ability to accurately simulate the effects of real-world scenarios. The game should also provide a significant degree of user interaction, allowing players to compare the effects of different approaches and policies which control fruit fly outbreaks in specific situations. Once developed, such a game has valuable potential for future projects, including research into scenarios generation, player dynamics, education/training, swarm intelligence, AI agents, etc.
Assumed knowledge
Pre-existing knowledge of serious game development and/or artificial intelligence strongly desirable.
Industry involvement
South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) & Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)
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You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.