Figure 2: Scheme illustrating the principle of a modelling platform (a) and the architecture of an
example: the DYPAL landscape modelling platform (b). The principle of a platform aims at finding
a compromise (the greatest common divisor GCD) between a range of models dedicated to various
objectives and a universal model addressing all possible objectives (as the least common multiple
LCM). A platform is built on the basis of a generic kernel (bottom, in blue) dedicated to the common
object modelled (here patchy landscapes of the DYPAL platform), and then developed at low cost
in various dedicated models (in warm colours).