12
Role of Computational Toolkits in
Environmental Management
Jeffery P. Holland, Steven M. Bartell, Thomas G. Hallam,
S.T. Purucker, and Christopher J.E. Welsh
221
12.1 Introduction
As a component of environmental resource management, decision makers
(e.g., resource managers), stakeholders (e.g., the public and nongovernmental organizations), and modelers (e.g., scientists and engineers who
develop and use modeling and assessment tools to perform evaluations of
alternative management practices) face pressure to accurately project and
evaluate the costs, benefits, options, and potential consequences of proposed
resource management actions. Current technologies offer many capabilities
to help address these difficult demands. These technologies include geographic information systems (GIS), landscape ecological modeling and
simulation, group collaborative forums and conferencing, expert systems,
multidimensional visualization tools, decision support systems (e.g., computer-based programs that aid decision makers in evaluating differing
courses of action), and web-based data-mining tools. Usage of each of these
technologies is rapidly growing. The problem for many users of such technology, however, is blending these tools together into a coherent and
integrated computational framework [e.g., a toolkit or toolbox; see English
et al. (1999)] that is keyed to the management process.
12.1.1 The Toolkit Concept
The concept of a “toolkit” embraces the idea that a collection of scientifically credible, generally accepted, and reliable resource management
models and assessment tools can and should be made available to assist
modelers, decision makers, and stakeholders. Just as a master craftsman
carries a comprehensive set of tools that can used to complete a project, a
resource manager, modeler, or stakeholder should have a set of modeling
tools available to aid the collaborative decision-making process. Note that,
for any given job, the craftsman may employ only a small subset of the tools
in the kit; however, given the breadth of tasks the craftsman may face, the
toolkit must have a range of tools so that the craftsman can look in the kit
Role of Computational Toolkits in
Environmental Management
Jeffery P. Holland, Steven M. Bartell, Thomas G. Hallam,
S.T. Purucker, and Christopher J.E. Welsh
221
12.1 Introduction
As a component of environmental resource management, decision makers
(e.g., resource managers), stakeholders (e.g., the public and nongovernmental organizations), and modelers (e.g., scientists and engineers who
develop and use modeling and assessment tools to perform evaluations of
alternative management practices) face pressure to accurately project and
evaluate the costs, benefits, options, and potential consequences of proposed
resource management actions. Current technologies offer many capabilities
to help address these difficult demands. These technologies include geographic information systems (GIS), landscape ecological modeling and
simulation, group collaborative forums and conferencing, expert systems,
multidimensional visualization tools, decision support systems (e.g., computer-based programs that aid decision makers in evaluating differing
courses of action), and web-based data-mining tools. Usage of each of these
technologies is rapidly growing. The problem for many users of such technology, however, is blending these tools together into a coherent and
integrated computational framework [e.g., a toolkit or toolbox; see English
et al. (1999)] that is keyed to the management process.
12.1.1 The Toolkit Concept
The concept of a “toolkit” embraces the idea that a collection of scientifically credible, generally accepted, and reliable resource management
models and assessment tools can and should be made available to assist
modelers, decision makers, and stakeholders. Just as a master craftsman
carries a comprehensive set of tools that can used to complete a project, a
resource manager, modeler, or stakeholder should have a set of modeling
tools available to aid the collaborative decision-making process. Note that,
for any given job, the craftsman may employ only a small subset of the tools
in the kit; however, given the breadth of tasks the craftsman may face, the
toolkit must have a range of tools so that the craftsman can look in the kit