Beavers rule!
Posted on June 27, 2006
Optimal Management of Beaver Population Using a Reduced-Order Distributed Parameter Model and Single Network Adaptive Critics
Padhi, R. Balakrishnan, S.N.
This paper appears in: Control Systems Technology, IEEE Transactions on
Publication Date: July 2006
Volume: 14, Issue: 4
On page(s): 628- 640
ISSN: 1063-6536
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/TCST.2006.876633
Posted online: 2006-06-26 09:30:04.0Abstract
Beavers are often found to be in conflict with human interests by creating nuisances like building dams on flowing water (leading to flooding), blocking irrigation canals, cutting down timbers, etc. At the same time they contribute to raising water tables, increased vegetation, etc. Consequently, maintaining an optimal beaver population is beneficial. Because of their diffusion externality (due to migratory nature), strategies based on lumped parameter models are often ineffective. Using a distributed parameter model for beaver population that accounts for their spatial and temporal behavior, an optimal control (trapping) strategy is presented in this paper that leads to a desired distribution of the animal density in a region in the long run. The optimal control solution presented, imbeds the solution for a large number of initial conditions (i.e., it has a feedback form), which is otherwise nontrivial to obtain. The solution obtained can be used in real-time by a nonexpert in control theory since it involves only using the neural networks trained offline. Proper orthogonal decomposition-based basis function design followed by their use in a Galerkin projection has been incorporated in the solution process as a model reduction technique. Optimal solutions are obtained through a “single network adaptive critic” (SNAC) neural-network architecture.
Well, I be damned, neural networks to control beaver population?! I have never thought that it’s so difficult…
P.S In case you are interested in the subject you can access if thorough Concordia IEEE web site.
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