Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Webxtreme: A Simple Web Tool For Calculating Agroclimatic Indicators Of Extreme Events, Tommy Klein, Argyris Samourkasidis, Ioannis N. Athanasiadis, Gianni Bellocchi, Pierluigi Calanca

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Extreme events such as frost, drought or excessive heat occurring during a critical plant stage can cause extensive and sometimes irreversible damages to agricultural production. Tools for gauging the occurrence of extreme events can thus play an important role in the context of agricultural decision problems. Agroclimatic indicators offer simple means to discriminate between favourable and unfavourable conditions. Their evaluation can be supported by dedicated software tools, even though this typically requires local installation of the proposed solution. Here we present webXTREME, a new web-based tool to characterize the occurrence and intensity of extreme events in agriculture (available through www.modextreme.org/webxtreme, …

Institutional Analysis For Flood Risk Reduction: A Coupled Agent-Based – Flood Model Method, Yared Abayneh Abebe, Amineh Ghorbani, Zoran Vojinovic, Igor Nikolic, Arlex Sanchez

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Flood risk results from flood hazard interacting with vulnerability and exposure of human and natural systems. Though many associate flooding as just a natural phenomenon, it is also attributed to the economic, social, political, institutional and governance factors of affected areas. Institutions such as rules, laws, policies and norms that shape and constrain human interaction drive the hazard, vulnerability and exposure components of flood risk. In this study, we conduct an institutional analysis of rules, norms and strategies for flood risk reduction. Based on the institutional analysis, we build an agent-based model that is coupled with a hydrodynamic flood model. …

Towards Multifunctionality Of Landscapes – A Multi- Objective Land Use Optimization Framework For Exploring Interaction Between Ecosystem Services And Biodiversity, Michael Strauch, Anna Cord, Andrea Kaim, Carola Pätzold, Christian Schweitzer, Ralf Seppelt, Martin Volk

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The sustainable appropriation of resources and the design of multifunctional landscapes requires the finding of solutions that minimize trade-offs between contrasting goals of land use, ecosystem services and biodiversity. Substantial progress has been made in the model-based quantification of land-use effects on ecosystem services and biodiversity over the past years, but finding ‘optimal' land use patterns is still one of the challenges. Existing implementations of multi- objective land use optimization often have shortcomings or are not well designed for meeting multiple demands. For example, users may wish to include computationally extensive and complex process- based or statistical models to define …

Elicitation Of Farmers’ Information Sources And Use In Operational Decision Making, Charlotte Dayde, Stephane Couture, Roger Martin-Clouaire

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The current trend is towards increasing the amount of raw data regarding agricultural practices (e.g., through experimentation, availability of measurement devices, etc.). Consequently, the amount of information that farmers can use to make operational decisions is growing at an impressive rate. The issue of imbalance between the richness of available information and the ability of farmers to harness it in their decision-making process has received little attention so far. In this study, a descriptive approach based on interviews is adopted. It explores the origin (i.e., internal knowledge or external sources) and the nature of information used by farmers …

Determining The Variability Of Population Exposure To Air Pollution While Taking Into Account Personal Mobility – A Case Study For The Uk, S. Reis, M Vieno, R. Beck, E. Carnell, D. Leaver

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The quantification of population level exposure to ambient air pollution is typically based on static population distributions inferred from the postcode of residence, and annual average concentrations of priority air pollutants at that location. Contemporary atmospheric chemistry transport models (ACTMs) are capable of providing air pollution concentration fields with high spatial and temporal resolution, for instance generating 1 km × 1 km gridded maps at hourly time steps. In addition, the 2011 UK Census has generated a novel population data product accounting for the location of the workplace, the so-called ‘workday population’ distribution, which accounts for the location of individuals …

Documenting Models For Interoperability And Reusability, Rajbir Parmar, Kurt Wolfe, Gene Whelan, Gerard F. Laniak, Mike Galvin, Jonathan L. Goodall

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Many modeling frameworks compartmentalize science via individual models that link sets of small components to create larger modeling workflows. Developing integrated watershed models increasingly requires coupling multidisciplinary, independent models, as well as collaboration between scientific communities, since component-based modeling can integrate models from different disciplines. Integrated Environmental Modeling (IEM) systems focus on transferring information between components by capturing a conceptual site model; establishing local metadata standards for input/output of models and databases; managing data flow between models and throughout the system; facilitating quality control of data exchanges (e.g., checking units, unit conversions, transfers between software languages); warning and error handling; …

Water Demand Forecasting With Autoflow© Using State-Space Approach, Khoi Anh Nguyen, Oz Sahin, Rodney Anthony Stewart, Hong Zhang

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The authors have recently developed an intelligent application, Autoflow©, which is a powerful tool to autonomously categorise residential water consumption data into a registry of single and combined events. This tool was developed using data collected in several cities in Australia, and when applied on standalone properties, the achieved accuracy ranged from 86% and 96% in terms of number of correctly classified events. Taking advantage of the analysis results from Autoflow©, the aim of this study is to propose a short-term water demand forecasting model that not only allows water utilities to predict the overall …

Advances In The Spatially Distributed Ages-W Model: Parallel Computation, Java Connection Framework (Jcf) Integration, And Streamflow/Nitrogen Dynamics Assessment, James Ascough Ii, Nathan P. Lighthart, Holm Kipka, Timothy R. Green, Gregory S. Mcmaster, Olaf David

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

AgroEcoSystem-Watershed (AgES-W) is a modular, Java-based spatially distributed model which implements hydrologic and water quality (H/WQ) simulation components under the Java Connection Framework (JCF) and the Object Modeling System (OMS) environmental modeling framework. AgES-W is implicitly scalable from field to regional scales, has a unique four-compartment surface-groundwater (vertical/lateral) routing scheme, and has recently been enhanced with various science components and tools for improved prediction of H/WQ response across large gauged and ungauged areas. Science component improvements include both new and enhanced modules for infiltration, water conveyance (e.g., ditches and diversions), conservation practice effects, and water table tracking. Recent AgES-W modeling …

Semantic Data Integration From Multi Linked Model Framework, Binh Thanh Nguyen, Gregor Kiesewetter, Wolfgang Schöpp

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Model integration is becoming increasingly important due to the requirements for multi-scale and multi-objective assessment and decision making. Moreover, instead of incorporating all complex related information system models that are relevant for different related aspects into one super-model, a multi linked model framework has been proposed to extract data and output from multiple linked models into the coherent data warehouse, which respects the interdependency of data from different model as well as additional knowledge already contained in its existing data cubes.

In this paper, first the multi linked model framework is defined in a very formal manner. The mathematical abstract …

Application Of A Comprehensive Integrated Assessment Tool For The Brussels Capital Region, Peter Viaene, Enrico Turrini, Claudio Carnevale, Marialuisa Volta, Roberta Gianfreda, Guiseppe Maffeis, Priscilla Declerck, Olivier Brasseur, Pieter Valkering

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

While in general air quality has improved in Europe over the past decades, there are still problems with exceedances of ambient air quality limit values in many urban areas. To design efficient Air Quality Plans to face these problems, methodologies and tools are required to assess the effects of possible abatement measures on local air quality. One such tool is RIAT+ (www.riatplus.eu). In this contribution to IEMSs, we’ll present an application of the RIAT+ tool to the Brussels Capital Region (BCR). Specific challenges for this application are the limited area of the BCR and the constraint that only emission abatement …

Modelling With Stakeholders: A Systems Approach For Improved Environmental Decision Making Under Great Uncertainty, Edoardo Bertone, Oz Sahin, Russell Richards, Anne Roiko

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In this paper an integrated participatory modelling approach is introduced for managing complex water resource systems under great uncertainty due to climatic and non-climatic factors. A number of case studies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology. The approach includes a range of stakeholders’ engagement activities throughout the modelling process. The first step consists of participatory problem scoping and model conceptualisation, where the modellers work closely with the stakeholders to establish the scope of the work, identify the key variables, determine the system boundaries, and develop an initial conceptual model. Secondly, a structural analysis technique is used to …

A New Framework For Global Sensitivity Analysis For Environmental Modelling, Saman Razavi, Hoshin Gupta, Amin Haghnegahdar, Razi Sheikholeslami

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Global sensitivity analysis (GSA) is an effective tool for understanding the role and functioning of different model factors (e.g., model parameters, forcings, and boundary and initial conditions) in generating the model response. GSA can be helpful to improve the credibility and utility of environmental systems models, as these models are continually growing in complexity and dimensionality with continuous advances in understanding and computing power. However, conventional approaches to GSA suffer from (1) an ambiguous characterization of sensitivity, and (2) poor computational efficiency, particularly as the problem dimension grows. Here, we identify several important sensitivity-related characteristics of response surfaces that must …

Exploring Socio-Hydrological Dynamics With A Hybrid Hydrological Agent-Based Model, Anastasia Lobanova, Francesco Lamperti, Andrea Roventini, David Tabara, Stefan Liersch, Valentina Krysanova

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The rivers cannot be anymore analyzed as solely natural systems, because their hydrological dynamics is defined to a greater extent by strategic human decisions and management to meet social and economic water demands. The necessity of coupling local social dynamics with hydrological processes for river catchments analysis is around for a decade and more and more authors are speaking about the concept of human-natural systems and the ways to investigate their mutual effects dynamically. Following this idea, the studies on the impacts of climatic change on the hydrological systems has to incorporate the mutual effects of the socio-hydrological system to …

Local And Regional Contributions To Nitrogen Dioxide, Tim Oxley, Helen Apsimon, Rosalind O’Driscoll

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

An important application of models is source apportionment, distinguishing the contribution of different sources to pollutant concentrations at critical locations - something which is difficult to deduce from measurements. As illustrated in this paper the UK Integrated Assessment Model (UKIAM) has been developed with this in mind, with a facility to produce a detailed breakdown of source contributions, indicating clearly the sources to be targeted for abatement and where uncertainties and sensitivity studies may be most important. “Impact factors”, defined as the change in concentration/exposure per unit reduction in emission for each source, are also useful in development of effective …

Hydrological Water Resources Assessment Of Cega-Eresma-Adaja Watershed System Using Swat Model, David A. Rivas, Angel De Miguel, Bárbara Willarts

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In the hydrological assessment of water bodies, modeling is a key fact in water management strategies of watersheds and serves as a tool for decision making considering environmental issues as the core of sustainable development in the region. In this direction, SWAT model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) was used to assess the water availability related with agricultural management in the watersheds of the tributary rivers Cega, Eresma and Adaja of Duero’s River in Spain both in the current and future climate change scenarios. To define the HRUs, land use maps from remote-sensing processes were used, extracting the agricultural uses …

A Conceptual Framework For An Agricultural Agent- Based Model With A Two-Level Social Component: Modeling Farmer Groups, Tatjana Kuznecova, Alexey A. Voinov

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In the last decade, collective actions within smallholder groups and cooperatives have been promoted by various development programs and projects. However, to develop appropriate programs and policies aimed at supporting cooperation among farmers, an approach may be required able to reflect the dynamics of an agricultural system resulting from decision-making and interactions between elements at different levels and scales.

In this study, we are focusing on the groups of smallholders organizing for collective crop production and/or marketing. Our aim is to provide an approach and a tool to gain a deeper insight in how cooperative groups emerge and perform under …

Design And Implementation Of Integrated Surveillance And Modelling Systems For Climate- Sensitive Diseases, Michael C. Wimberly, Justin Davis, Geoffrey M. Henebry, Michael B. Hildreth, Yi Liu, Christopher L. Merkord

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Climatic variations can have a multitude of impacts on human health, ranging from the direct impacts of extreme heat events to indirect effects on the vectors and hosts that transmit a multitude of infectious diseases. Infectious disease surveillance has traditionally focused on monitoring human cases, and in some instances tracking population sizes and infection rates of arthropod vectors and zoonotic hosts. For climate-sensitive diseases, there is potential to strengthen surveillance and obtain early indicators of future outbreaks by monitoring environmental risk factors using broad-scale sensor networks that include earth-observing satellites as well as ground stations. We highlight the opportunities and …

Simulating Structural Change In Agriculture: Modelling Farming Households And Farm Succession, Christian Troost, Thomas Berger

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The majority of European farms are family farms. Farm succession, i.e. passing over the responsibility from farm owner and manager to their heir, is an important element of structural change in agriculture. We present a model implementation capturing farming household evolution in an agent- based model and explore the consequences of farm household composition and farm succession on agricultural production, investment and participation in agri-environmental policy schemes.

A Dynamic Water Supply Portfolio Optimisation Approach, Michael G. Porter, Oz Sahin

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This paper examines the future water supply situation in Adelaide, a relatively dry city in South Australia, in the driest populated continent on earth. Using the Systems Approach, we analyse a diversified strategy with a new portfolio mix of core bulk water: (i) rainfall independent desalinated water from the ocean and (ii) rainfall dependent water from catchments including the Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR) and water piped from the Murray‐Darling Basin (MDB) including via the Mannum‐Adelaide Pipeline. Our focus is on the quantity, indicative costs and risks of water supply, and associated augmentation choices and trade‐offs, over the next century to …

Modelling Urban Transition: A Case Of Rainwater Harvesting, Adam C. Castonguay, Christian Urich, Md Sayed Iftekhar, Ana Deletic

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Cities are increasingly exposed to extreme climate events such as floods and droughts. Land use change is also expected to reduce the availability of green spaces and intensify extreme heat events. Given these pressures on the quality of life of urban dwellers, there is a great need to improve the integrated management of water to enable sustainable development of rapidly growing cities and improve human well-being. A promising way to make urban communities more liveable is to invest in green water technologies, that is, decentralised and low-energy water supply, wastewater and stormwater solutions, to foster the transition to more sustainable …