Call for Papers: The Future of Integrated Modelling Science and Technology

[Andrea E. Rizzoli]

Dear Group Members,

I would like to submit to your attention the attached call for paper
for a ‘Thematic Issue’ of the Environmental Modelling & Software
journal (IF 3.085) titled

*The Future of Integrated Modelling Science and Technology*

This thematic issue will be steered by Gerry Laniak (US EPA) and
myself, and it will be developed in coordination with another other
Thematic Issue which has been recently announced (Innovative
Approaches to Global Change Modelling), thanks to the supervision of
Tony Jakeman and Alexey Voinov, editors of Environmental Modelling &
Software.

If you are interested in participating, please read carefully the
instructions of the call below, and email your contact details and
intended contribution to ciem...@iemss.org by the 30th of November.
We plan to collect the selected full papers by April 2011.

Please, give maximum diffusion to this call by forwarding it to any
potential contributor, and also apologize multiple postings.

Best regards
Andrea E. Rizzoli and Gerry Laniak


*Scope and aims*

Understanding and managing environmental systems is becoming more and
more critical for a planet facing increasing pressures on limited
resources, and at the same time subject to climate variations and
other changes. Historically the major focus has been on sectoral
studies of largely disconnected aspects of environmental modeling (air
pollution, hydrology, ecology, economics, and other social and human
aspects). But in the interests of more holistic understanding and
management scientists are now investigating how to better represent
the various components of environmental systems and their
interactions. This involves focusing on the appropriate simplification
of complexities and characterising uncertainties in the integrated
models and their predictions. It also involves engagement with
interest groups to frame the focus of modelling exercises and
integrate and share knowledge throughout the model development
process.

Scientists are invited to prepare and deliver integrated modelling and
assessment studies and associated methods that support decision and
policy makers advance the sustaining of our planet and its resources.
Such studies may be at various scales but must be supported by
rigorous science gained by analyzing and processing environmental data
and the use of quantitative and/or qualitative models along with
analyses of their credibility and limitations. At the very least we
require a ranking of the uncertainties involved. Integrated models
that embrace both the biophysical and social sciences are encouraged.

Integration opens many challenges including: linking the models and
their feedbacks, the reuse of legacy code, the upscaling and
downscaling of models at different spatio-temporal resolutions,
evaluation of the credibility and utility of integrated models,
engagement and communication methods (including visualisation
techniques), and the efficient exploitation of high performance
computer facilities where necessary to run the massive calculations
required to produce simulation outcomes.

The aim of this ‘Thematic Issue’ of the Environmental Modelling &
Software journal is ambitious: first we wish to identify the current
shortcomings of integrated modeling with respect to the requirements
of a broad range of end-users of integrated modeling (scientists and
researchers, policy and decision makers); then we wish to outline
science/research and technology roadmaps to enable integrated modeling
to fulfill the present and future challenges that they are expected to
face.

To this purpose, we are interested in receiving original submissions
on topics such as: integrated modeling frameworks and software
environments, standards for model integration, ontologies for
knowledge representation in the environmental domain, designs for the
interface between science/modelers and decision making/stakeholders,
and good practice of integrated modeling including the
characterization of integrated model and decision making uncertainty.

*Participation and timeline*

The issue editors would like to extend an open opportunity to the
wider science community to participate in the development of the
Thematic Issue, through either submitting or reviewing papers.

If you are interested in participating, please email your contact
details and intended contribution (title, authors, abstract) to
ciem...@iemss.org by the 30th of November. After an initial selection
of responses, we will ask for full papers by 30 April 2011.

We will use a three step review process:

1. Extended abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors and
recommendations will be made regarding the scope of the full paper;
extended abstracts should be about 1,000 words plus a strong
bibliography that indicates the literature that the paper will build
upon;

2. Full papers will be sent out for external peer review following
Environmental Modelling & Software policy that, among other things,
requires at least 3 reviewers per paper plus valuable editorial
comment;

3. Revised manuscripts will be examined by the Guest Editors and,
where necessary, the external reviewers.