Planned external interfaces for GENESIS 3

Using this architecture, G3 is being developed with the necessary interfaces that will, in principle, allow any simulation system to use its
features. The last figure shows the multiple external interfaces to GENESIS 3 that will be allowed with the new architecture.

 

GUI Interfaces

 

Some of the current priorities for GENESIS 3 development are to:

• Reimplement the functionality of the X Windows graphical use interface of GENESIS in Java. This will allow the use of more modern user-friendly interfaces, and allow GENESIS to be used on non-UNIX platform such as Windows. A Java GUI for GENESIS will also allow tutorial simulations to be run over the internet from a GENESIS server. This work is in progress now, and will be followed with the addition of more advanced display and visualization capabilities.

   

• Develop XML-based representations of channel, cell, and network models. Although the present GENESIS cell parameter file format will continue to be supported for backwards compatibility with existing simulations, we plan to use a standard simulator-independent XML model description to import models into GENESIS. This will make it possible for modelers to more easily exchange simulations and simulation components, regardless of the simulator used. For more information about the NeuroML project and related efforts, see http://www.neuroml.org/, and the recently established SourceForge development website for NeuroML at http://sourceforge.net/projects/neuroml. For information about our initial prototype of an XML-based channel model database, see http://www.genesis-sim.org/hbp/channeldb/ChannelDB.html.