13.2.1 Training and Education
Teaching the use of existing models is the most efficient way to reach the
goal of enhanced model use in the short term. Teaching can take various
forms, and can be done in a variety of formats. Both the content and the
format of training should depend on the audience. Here we consider two
types of audience: managers and technical personnel.
Environmental managers, people who make decisions on management
and research in governmental agencies and in the industry, are often unfamiliar with the potentials of modeling. The topics for educating managers
in the use of ecological models could include
• Types of questions that can be addressed with ecological models
• Selecting the appropriate model
• Types of data needed for different types of models
• Interpreting the results of models
• How models incorporate variability and uncertainty
• Interpreting and communicating risk and uncertainty
• Recognizing limitations of models
• Learning to identify inappropriate uses of models
• Examples of the successful use of models
Another type of audience includes technical personnel who may be using
or reviewing models developed by others. To judge the technical merits
of models, they need to have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of
modeling. The topics for technical personnel should include all the topics
for managers. In addition, the following topics may be useful to train technical personnel:
• Components of different types of ecological models
• Tradeoffs between complexity (realism) and practicality (data
availability)
• Collecting the appropriate data
• Analyzing data to estimate model parameters
• Incorporating variability and uncertainty
• Presenting model results
In addition to managers and technical personnel, modelers may also need
training, for example to better understand biological aspects of the system,
practical limitations to data collection, and the needs and limitations of
management. However, this training is different because, unlike the topics
discussed above, it is very case-specific. It is best done in workshops that
aim at improving the communication among modelers, managers, and technical personnel.
250
Lev Ginzburg and H. Resit Akçakaya
Teaching the use of existing models is the most efficient way to reach the
goal of enhanced model use in the short term. Teaching can take various
forms, and can be done in a variety of formats. Both the content and the
format of training should depend on the audience. Here we consider two
types of audience: managers and technical personnel.
Environmental managers, people who make decisions on management
and research in governmental agencies and in the industry, are often unfamiliar with the potentials of modeling. The topics for educating managers
in the use of ecological models could include
• Types of questions that can be addressed with ecological models
• Selecting the appropriate model
• Types of data needed for different types of models
• Interpreting the results of models
• How models incorporate variability and uncertainty
• Interpreting and communicating risk and uncertainty
• Recognizing limitations of models
• Learning to identify inappropriate uses of models
• Examples of the successful use of models
Another type of audience includes technical personnel who may be using
or reviewing models developed by others. To judge the technical merits
of models, they need to have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of
modeling. The topics for technical personnel should include all the topics
for managers. In addition, the following topics may be useful to train technical personnel:
• Components of different types of ecological models
• Tradeoffs between complexity (realism) and practicality (data
availability)
• Collecting the appropriate data
• Analyzing data to estimate model parameters
• Incorporating variability and uncertainty
• Presenting model results
In addition to managers and technical personnel, modelers may also need
training, for example to better understand biological aspects of the system,
practical limitations to data collection, and the needs and limitations of
management. However, this training is different because, unlike the topics
discussed above, it is very case-specific. It is best done in workshops that
aim at improving the communication among modelers, managers, and technical personnel.
250
Lev Ginzburg and H. Resit Akçakaya