Inputs and Configuration

Inputs and Configuration

This page introduces the main input files and configuration elements used by OSMOSE. It is intended for users who need to understand, review, build, or modify an OSMOSE configuration.

OSMOSE simulations are controlled by configuration files and associated input data. Some inputs are required for most model applications, while others depend on the selected processes, modules, forcing data, fisheries representation, observation tools, or calibration workflow.

Main input file types

The OSMOSE model requires several main types of input files to run:

• Configuration files
  Plain text files that contain the parameters and model set-up required by OSMOSE. These files are usually saved with a .csv or .R extension.

• Species parameters
  Parameters defining the biological and ecological properties of species or groups, including growth, reproduction, mortality, predation, movement, and other species-specific settings.

• Resource forcing
  Low-trophic-level forcing files, usually NetCDF files (.nc), containing the biomass of resource species or groups used as prey in OSMOSE.

• Species distribution maps
  Files describing the spatial distribution of species over the model domain and time period. These files can be provided as NetCDF or CSV files, depending on the configuration.

• Accessibility matrices
  Binary or probabilistic matrices describing trophic accessibility between predator and prey groups, or catchability/accessibility of species to fisheries depending on gear type. These files are usually saved in .csv format.

• Time series
  CSV files describing temporal variation in parameters or processes, such as reproduction seasonality, fishing seasonality, environmental forcing, or other time-varying inputs.

• Fishing files
  Files and parameters used to configure fishing processes, including fishing mortality, fleets, catchability, selectivity, effort, catches, and discards.

• Observation files
  Files used to configure observation processes, simulated surveys, filters, selectivity, and model outputs designed for comparison with data.

How to use this page

Users building a new configuration should start with Configuration files and Species parameters.

Users adding spatial or environmental forcing should read Species distribution maps, Resource forcing, and Time series.

Users working with fishing processes should read Fishing files together with Fishing and Multispecies Fisheries Module.

Users preparing model-data comparisons should read Observation files together with Outputs and Observation and Observation Module.