On the Design of Computer-Based Models for Integrated Environmental Science

The current research agenda in environmental science is dominated by calls to integrate science and policy to better understand and manage links between social (human) and natural (nonhuman) processes. Freshwater resource management is one area where such calls can be heard. Designing computer-based models for integrated environmental science poses special challenges to the research community. At present it is not clear whether such tools, or their outputs, receive much practical policy or planning application. It is argued that this is a result of (1) a lack of appreciation within the research modeling community of the characteristics of different decision-making processes including policy, planning, and (2) participation, (3) a lack of appreciation of the characteristics of different decision-making contexts, (4) the technical difficulties in implementing the necessary support tool functionality, and (5) the socio-technical demands of designing tools to be of practical use. This article presents a critical synthesis of ideas from each of these areas and interprets them in terms of design requirements for computer-based models being developed to provide scientific information support for policy and planning. Illustrative examples are given from the field of freshwater resources management. Although computer-based diagramming and modeling tools can facilitate processes of dialogue, they lack adequate simulation capabilities. Component-based models and modeling frameworks provide such functionality and may be suited to supporting problematic or messy decision contexts. However, significant technical (implementation) and socio-technical (use) challenges need to be addressed before such ambition can be realized.     

道路交通安全知识提取方法及其递进式模型的研究

道路交通数据资源日益膨胀和复杂化 ,已经远远超出了人脑的记忆和分析能力。面对道路交通的海量数据 ,传统运用的DBMS和OLTP技术 ,已无法发现隐藏在数据背后的关系、规则和发展趋势等新的内容、知识和信息。因此 ,建立基于DMKD的智能道路交通安全决策支持系统是相关部门急需解决的重大课题。笔者重点介绍了数据挖掘、知识发现的概念 ,提出了基于DW +OLAP +DMKD的道路交通安全决策支持系统 ,通过道路交通系统的要素分析 ,介绍了一种面向属性的粗糙集方法提取规则 ,并阐述了一种递进式规则评价提炼过程。     

蓄热式加热炉安全技术操作规程优化初探

唐钢中型厂2#加热炉技术改造后，在加热炉设备检修、维修、维护过程中，如何在保证操作安全的同时，保证操作的准确到位，为安全管理工作提出了研究课题。     

Linking linear programming and spatial simulation models to predict landscape effects of forest management alternatives

Forest management planners require analytical tools to assess the effects of alternative strategies on the sometimes disparate benefits from forests such as timber production and wildlife habitat. We assessed the spatial patterns of alternative management strategies by linking two models that were developed for different purposes. We used a linear programming model (Spectrum) to optimize timber harvest schedules, then a simulation model (HARVEST) to project those schedules in a spatially explicit way and produce maps from which the spatial pattern of habitat could be calculated. We demonstrated the power of this approach by evaluating alternative plans developed for a national forest plan revision in Wisconsin, USA. The amount of forest interior habitat was inversely related to the amount of timber cut, and increased under the alternatives compared to the current plan. The amount of edge habitat was positively related to the amount of timber cut, and increased under all alternatives. The amount of mature northern hardwood interior and edge habitat increased for all alternatives, but mature pine habitat area varied. Mature age classes of all forest types increased, and young classes decreased under all alternatives. The average size of patches (defined by age class) generally decreased. These results are consistent with the design goals of each of the alternatives, but reveal that the spatial differences among the alternatives are modest. These complementary models are valuable for quantifying and comparing the spatial effects of alternative management strategies.     

PDE accident model from a safety information perspective and its application to Zhangjiakou fire and explosion accident

Accident models can provide theoretical frameworks for determining the causes and mechanisms of accidents, and thus are theoretical bases for accident analysis and prevention. The role of safety information in accident causation is profound. Thus, safety information is an important and essential perspective for developing accident models. This study presents a new accident model developed from a safety information perspective, called the Prediction—Decision—Execution (PDE) accident model. Because the PDE accident model is an emerging accident model that was proposed in 2018, its analysis logic and viability remain to be discussed. Thus, the main contributions of this study include two aspects: (i) detailed explanation of the analysis logic of the PDE accident model, and (ii) case-study examination of the Zhangjiakou fire and explosion accident, a serious accident that occurred in China in 2018, to demonstrate the viability of the PDE accident model. Results show that this is a safety-information-driven accident model that can provide a new and effective methodology for accident analysis and prevention, and safety management.     

Can level of safety climate predict level of orientation toward safety in a decision making task?

Establishing the relationship between level of safety climate and safety performance is a current challenge. This work examines the relationship between level of safety climate and orientation toward safety in the decision making process and choice. Alternatively, this work seeks to answer the question of whether level of safety climate can predict safety-oriented decision making. A generalized safety climate questionnaire and a decision making simulation are utilized to examine this relationship. The results indicate that level of safety climate is not a significant predictor of the decision process; however, it was found to be a significant predictor of the selection of safer choices.     

高速公路交通救援资源派遣方法适用性研究

为降低高速公路交通事故人员伤亡和财产损失、提高指挥调度中心救援效率,将适合高速公路交通救援资源派遣的匈牙利法、直接成本法和机会成本法,分别从基于资源派遣方法的数学特征、高速公路交通救援点配置情况和交通事故救援实施3个方面对各方法的适用性进行研究,并结合指挥调度中心现有资源派遣实际,制定出交通救援资源派遣规则。以南京市周边高速公路网为例,根据适用条件选用合适的交通救援资源派遣方法和派遣规则,进行救援资源的派遣决策,为指挥调度中心高效地派遣交通救援资源提供了理论依据和合适方法。     

论安全科学的基础规律与知识体系

安全科学的发展面临基础规律缺乏、知识体系混乱的难题。笔者研讨了"综合属性"论对安全科学发展的阻滞作用,认为普遍存在于各类事物中的安全现象及其规律是安全科学的专属领域;提出安全问题涉及到受损事物、致损事物和二者耦合关系3个要素;论述了受损事物要素的损害可能性和损害防护性问题及其4个理论命题;致损事物要素的损害能力相关性和损害能力可变性问题及其2个命题。分析了耦合关系要素的3种类型及其特点和主要存在领域。在"三要素"安全规律的基础上,给出了安全科学知识体系的3个知识类型和13个知识门类,为构造安全科学的核心知识集提供了整体性思路。     

Recursive Operability Analysis as a decision support tool for Risk-Based Maintenance

This work was developed with the support of MEMC, one of the most important producers of ultra-pure silicon wafers for electronic applications throughout the world. The availability of ultra-pure water is of prime importance in the silicon production process. In order to maximize the availability of UP water, MEMC has developed a preventive maintenance program and a detailed record of each maintenance intervention is recorded. This has allowed a complete failure rate data bank to be developed. In order to optimize the maintenance intervention, a Recursive Operability Analysis (ROA) has been used as a decision support tool. The results of the ROA, coupled with the failure rates, have made it possible to calculate the expected number of events (ENE) of various top events (TEs). The magnitude of each TE has been estimated on the basis of the monetary losses provoked by each event. The risk then has been calculated and the events ranked on this basis. Maintenance policies have been optimized with the aim of reducing the risk of the top ranked events.     

Impact Assessment and Recommendation of Alternative Conjunctive Water Use Strategies for Salt Affected Agricultural Lands through a Field Scale Decision Support System – A Case Study

Conjunctive use of saline/non-saline irrigation waters is generally aimed at minimizing yield losses and enhancing flexibility of cropping, without much alteration in farming operations. Recommendation of location-specific suitable conjunctive water use plans requires assessment of their long-term impacts on soil salinization/sodification and crop yield reductions. This is conventionally achieved through long-term field experiments. However such impact evaluations are site specific, expensive and time consuming. Appropriate decision support systems (DSS) can be time-efficient and cost-effective means for such long-term impact evaluations. This study demonstrates the application of one such (indigenously developed) DSS for recommending best conjunctive water use plans for a, rice-wheat growing, salt affected farmer’s field in Gurgaon district of Haryana (India). Before application, the DSS was extensively validated on several farmers and controlled experimental fields in Gurgaon and Karnal districts of Haryana (India). Validation of DSS showed its potential to give realistic estimates of root zone soil salinity (with R = 0.76–0.94; AMRE = 0.03–0.06; RMSPD = 0.51–0.90); sodicity (with R = 0.99; AMRE = 0.02; RMSPD = 0.84) and relative crop yield reductions (AMRE = 0.24), under existing (local) resource management practices. Long term (10 years) root zone salt build ups and associated rice/wheat crop yield reductions, in a salt affected farmer’s field, under varied conjunctive water use scenarios were evaluated with the validated DSS. It was observed that long-term applications of canal (CW) and tube well (TW) waters in a cycle and in 1:1 mixed mode, during Kharif season, predicted higher average root zone salt reductions (2–9%) and lower rice crop yield reductions (4–5%) than the existing practice of 3-CW, 3-TW, 3-CW. Besides this, long-term application of 75% CW mixed with 25% TW, during Rabi season, predicted about 17% lower average root-zone salt reductions than the cyclic applications of (1-CW, 1-TW, 2-CW) and (2-CW, 1-TW, 1-CW, i.e., existing irrigation strategy). However, average wheat crop yield reductions (16–17%) simulated under all these strategies were almost at par. In general, cyclic-conjunctive water use strategies emerged as better options than the blending modes. These results were in complete confirmation with actual long-term conjunctive water use experiments on similar soils. It was thus observed that such pre-validated tools could be efficient means for designing, local resource and target crop yield-specific, appropriate conjunctive water use plans for irrigated agricultural lands.