Browsing by Author "Koralewski, Tomasz E."

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    Socio-technical scales in socio-environmental modeling: Managing a system-of-systems modeling approach
    Iwanaga, Takuya; Wang, Hsiao-Hsuan; Hamilton, Serena H.; Grimm, Volker; Koralewski, Tomasz E.; Salado, Alejandro; Elsawah, Sondoss; Razavi, Saman; Yang, Jing; Glynn, Pierre; Badham, Jennifer; Voinov, Alexey; Chen, Min; Grant, William E.; Peterson, Tarla Rai; Frank, Karin; Shenk, Gary; Barton, C. Michael; Jakeman, Anthony J.; Little, John C. (2021-01)
    System-of-systems approaches for integrated assessments have become prevalent in recent years. Such approaches integrate a variety of models from different disciplines and modeling paradigms to represent a socioenvironmental (or social-ecological) system aiming to holistically inform policy and decision-making processes. Central to the system-of-systems approaches is the representation of systems in a multi-tier framework with nested scales. Current modeling paradigms, however, have disciplinary-specific lineage, leading to inconsistencies in the conceptualization and integration of socio-environmental systems. In this paper, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, from engineering, natural and social sciences, have come together to detail socio-technical practices and challenges that arise in the consideration of scale throughout the socioenvironmental modeling process. We identify key paths forward, focused on explicit consideration of scale and uncertainty, strengthening interdisciplinary communication, and improvement of the documentation process. We call for a grand vision (and commensurate funding) for holistic system-of-systems research that engages researchers, stakeholders, and policy makers in a multi-tiered process for the co-creation of knowledge and solutions to major socio-environmental problems.
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    Toward a complete interdisciplinary treatment of scale: Reflexive lessons from socioenvironmental systems modeling
    Iwanaga, Takuya; Wang, Hsiao-Hsuan; Koralewski, Tomasz E.; Grant, William E.; Jakeman, Anthony J.; Little, John C. (2021-06-11)
    The pathways taken throughout any model-based process are undoubtedly influenced by the modeling team involved and the decision choices they make. For interconnected socioenvironmental systems (SES), such teams are increasingly interdisciplinary to enable a more expansive and holistic treatment that captures the purpose, the relevant disciplines and sectors, and other contextual settings. In practice, such interdisciplinarity increases the scope of what is considered, thereby increasing choices around model complexity and their effects on uncertainty. Nonetheless, the consideration of scale issues is one critical lens through which to view and question decision choices in the modeling cycle. But separation between team members, both geographically and by discipline, can make the scales involved more arduous to conceptualize, discuss, and treat. In this article, the practices, decisions, and workflow that influence the consideration of scale in SESs modeling are explored through reflexive accounts of two case studies. Through this process and an appreciation of past literature, we draw out several lessons under the following themes: (1) the fostering of collaborative learning and reflection, (2) documenting and justifying the rationale for modeling scale choices, some of which can be equally plausible (a perfect model is not possible), (3) acknowledging that causality is defined subjectively, (4) embracing change and reflection throughout the iterative modeling cycle, and (5) regularly testing the model integration to draw out issues that would otherwise be unnoticeable.