Catchword Special Issue No. 133 - November / December 2004
December 16, 2004
This special issue of Catchword is designed to assist industry and model users with information about models and modelling, and the CRC for Catchment Hydrology's intention to develop such information. The November/December Catchword issue is available for downloading above.
This issue will assist those commissioning and involved in models to better understand how the tools we are developing will help in their business. We have also just released the first two papers in our Modelling Choice Series on General Considerations in modelling (Paper 1) and Sediment/Nutrient modelling (Paper 2). These are available at http://www.toolkit.net.au and provide more detailed background and guidance for selecting the right model for a particular job.In the New Year we will be conducting seminars on these topics and including components in our training programs. Details are available at http://www.toolkit.net.au/training
The need for information on modelling is driven by the increased use of models in natural resource management and the desire to maximise the benefits from the use of models. Modelling is becoming part and parcel of the way we identify and quantify issues in our catchments, determine priorities for management actions, set targets, and evaluate performance against those targets. Modelling also provides a repeatable and defensible approach that, if used correctly, enhances the confidence of all involved.
But many models, while quite possibly being easy to use, are conceptually complex and require significant knowledge to use and interpret the results intelligently. We need to be thinking about modelling in natural resource management as a *new technology* where everyone - from those who commission modelling, through the users and developers, to those who are affected by model results or outcomes - spends time coming to understand something of the *art and science of modelling*. This is critical if the benefits, limitations and appropriate application of models in management are to be realised. It is often said that *what matters is not the quality of the model, but the quality of the modeller*. Equally, an understanding of model limitations and being able to ask the right questions is important for the organisations that purchase modelling expertise and the communities or groups affected by modelling.
The focus of this Catchword is modelling, but models are useless without high quality data. Indeed the greatest influence on confidence in modelling is generally data availability. An important component of our research programs is the development of models based on good data and field studies. Monitoring and modelling must go hand in hand if we are to improve confidence in our predictions and make the most of the data being collected. Smart monitoring that combines data and models is a rapidly developing field that will improve confidence in many practical applications such as assessment of targets and predicting impacts of management actions.
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