NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Towards Policy Relevant Environmental Modeling: Contextual Validity and Pragmatic Models.
- File
- PB2006105367.pdf
- Author(s)
- Miles, S. B.
- Source
- January 2000, 24 p.
- Identifying Number(s)
- USGS/OFR-00-401
- Abstract
- What makes for a good model. In various forms, this question is a question that, undoubtedly, many people, businesses, and institutions ponder with regards to their particular domain of modeling. One particular domain that is wrestling with this question is the multidisciplinary field of environmental modeling. Examples of environmental models range from models of contaminated ground water flow to the economic impact of natural disasters, such as earthquakes. One of the distinguishing claims of the field is the relevancy of environmental modeling to policy and environment-related decision-making in general. A pervasive view by both scientists and decision-makers is that a 'good' model is one that is an accurate predictor. Thus, determining whether a model is accurate or correct is done by comparing model output to empirical observations.
- Keywords
- ; Emperical observations; Environmental modeling; Decision-making; Contextual validity; Relevancy; Policy; Model validation; Pragmatism; Comparisons; Modeling