CyberPlantS: a European initiative towards collaborative plant modeling

The current European research landscape of 3D plant modeling shows fragmentation and critically lacks coordination. The CyberPlantS initiative aims at creating the first European network on advanced plant simulation systems and associated e-infrastructure. The network will aim at innovation in computational plant modeling with a focus on plant architecture and plant-environment interactions. It is focused on the development of a new paradigm, namely cyberplants. Cyberplants refers to cybernetic systems, as biological and environmental components of vegetation exchange signals to achieve specific goals. Cyberplants also refers to cyberspace, which designates a collaborative approach based on a network community relying on a cyberinfrastructure.