Inside ALMaSS: The Software Engine That Simulates Entire Farming Landscapes

ALMaSS (Animal Landscape and Man Simulation System) is a Danish simulation platform that can “rewind” agricultural landscapes and test policy changes, with effects modeled across ecosystems and land users. A newly published technical description in the Food and Ecological Systems Modelling Journal details how the software works, including an engine capable of running 50 million concurrent agents on real terrain at 1-square-metre resolution. The system simulates areas up to 50 by 50 kilometers, with common study sites of 10 by 10 km, representing every hedgerow, field margin and grassland patch as discrete units. It uses object-oriented C++ design and a Landscape class that initializes maps, manages farming activity, and supplies environmental data to all models.