to the point that an answer deemed optimal to all parties would be the
exception rather than the rule. A toolkit is therefore required that would
facilitate identification of issues among all stakeholders while aiding formulation of potential alternative solutions that are the least divisive to
the environment and stakeholder objectives. This toolkit is the conceptual
toolkit.
12.3.1 The Glue That Binds
The focal environmental problem will have some components that are
known to be fundamental and others that may not be well understood or
even agreed upon as being important. The conceptual toolkit is a blueprint,
a schematic of the focal issues that delineates important interactions among
components and, through feedback, indicates gaps in knowledge about the
scientific problem. It is also a tool to facilitate communication. This toolkit
must express environmental science and engineering at levels sufficient to
initiate modeling efforts and, at the same time, must be sufficiently explanatory to address issues of environmentally cognizant stakeholders and
managers. The conceptual toolkit is thus both a development tool and a
communication tool that is important for interactions of scientists and
engineers with the stakeholders and the decision makers. As such, the
conceptual toolkit should form a nucleus that relates each of the modeler,
stakeholder, and decision maker toolkits to one another.
The most basic aspect of the conceptual toolkit is its graphical nature.
This toolkit must be designed with icons and terminology that can be intuitively grasped by modelers, stakeholders, and decision makers if it is going
to provide the common ground required to support collaboration among
these communities. The conceptual toolkit should provide a hierarchy of
methods, ranging from simple sketch pads to elaborate group collaborative
environments, in support of problem and alternative formulation, evaluation, and feedback. This is undoubtedly the most ambitious, and the least
well developed, of the four toolkits discussed in this chapter.
12.3.2 From Conceptualization to Model Development
and Analysis
The conceptual toolkit, by framing the environmental problem, addressing
differing stakeholder objectives, and presenting scientific components, provides the foundation for the modeling process. The first step in that process
is the determination of the objectives of the model. By identifying those
objectives, the conceptual toolkit would provide important input into the
modeling efforts. By introducing scientific knowledge and associated uncertainty, the conceptual toolkit would set the foundation for the analysis of
the problem and the evaluation of alternative management scenarios. There
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exception rather than the rule. A toolkit is therefore required that would
facilitate identification of issues among all stakeholders while aiding formulation of potential alternative solutions that are the least divisive to
the environment and stakeholder objectives. This toolkit is the conceptual
toolkit.
12.3.1 The Glue That Binds
The focal environmental problem will have some components that are
known to be fundamental and others that may not be well understood or
even agreed upon as being important. The conceptual toolkit is a blueprint,
a schematic of the focal issues that delineates important interactions among
components and, through feedback, indicates gaps in knowledge about the
scientific problem. It is also a tool to facilitate communication. This toolkit
must express environmental science and engineering at levels sufficient to
initiate modeling efforts and, at the same time, must be sufficiently explanatory to address issues of environmentally cognizant stakeholders and
managers. The conceptual toolkit is thus both a development tool and a
communication tool that is important for interactions of scientists and
engineers with the stakeholders and the decision makers. As such, the
conceptual toolkit should form a nucleus that relates each of the modeler,
stakeholder, and decision maker toolkits to one another.
The most basic aspect of the conceptual toolkit is its graphical nature.
This toolkit must be designed with icons and terminology that can be intuitively grasped by modelers, stakeholders, and decision makers if it is going
to provide the common ground required to support collaboration among
these communities. The conceptual toolkit should provide a hierarchy of
methods, ranging from simple sketch pads to elaborate group collaborative
environments, in support of problem and alternative formulation, evaluation, and feedback. This is undoubtedly the most ambitious, and the least
well developed, of the four toolkits discussed in this chapter.
12.3.2 From Conceptualization to Model Development
and Analysis
The conceptual toolkit, by framing the environmental problem, addressing
differing stakeholder objectives, and presenting scientific components, provides the foundation for the modeling process. The first step in that process
is the determination of the objectives of the model. By identifying those
objectives, the conceptual toolkit would provide important input into the
modeling efforts. By introducing scientific knowledge and associated uncertainty, the conceptual toolkit would set the foundation for the analysis of
the problem and the evaluation of alternative management scenarios. There
232
Jeffery P. Holland et al.