The water-land-food-energy-climate Nexus for a resource efficient Europe

Α novel methodology for addressing policyinconsistencies and knowledge gaps that hinder thetransition to a greater resource efficiency Europe isproposed. We focus on the integration of all differentsectors that interact and influence each other, namely the“water- energy- food- land use- climate nexus” and wedevelop tools for identifying and quantifying their complexinterlinkages under the influence of climate change. Inorder to achieve this, we employ a series of sophisticatedmodels (referred to as “thematic models”), each of whichaddresses a different nexus dimension, or a combination ofa few, while none addresses all nexus dimensions in anintegrative manner. We use dynamic systems modelingand other complexity science techniques in order to“merge” different thematic model outputs in a singlecoherent result, which is presented to the user in an easy tocomprehend Serious Game environment. This way, theeffect of policies that are designed to affect one field(nexus dimension) on others can be quantified andsimulated, thus informing policy-makers for theunintended consequences of their policies, reducinguncertainties, covering knowledge gaps and leading to aresource efficient Europe faster

Serious gaming to explore the water-energy-food-land-climate nexus with multi-stakeholder participation: The sim4nexus approach

Water, energy, food, land and climate form a tightly connected nexus in which actions on one sector impact other sectors creating feedbacks and unanticipated consequences. This is especially because at present much scientific research and policies are constrained into single discipline/sector silos often not interacting (e.g. water-related research/policy). However experimenting in interaction and determining how a change in one sector could impact another may take unreasonable time frames, be very difficult in practice, and may be potentially dangerous, triggering any one of a number of unanticipated side-effects. Current modelling often neglects knowledge from practice. Therefore a safe environment is required to test the potential cross-sectoral implications of policy decisions in one sector on other sectors. Serious games offer such an environment by creating realistic -simulations', where long-Term impacts of policies may be tested and rated. This paper describes how the ongoing (2016-2020) Horizon2020 project SIM4NEXUS develops cloud based serious games investigating potential plausible cross-nexus implications and synergies due to policy interventions for 12 multi-scale case studies ranging from regional to global. Integrating modelling and policies, as well as learning from playing a serious game is justified by adopting a proof-of-concept for a specific regional case study in Sardinia (Italy). © 2018 1st International WDSA / CCWI 2018 Joint Conference. All rights reserved

The water-land-food-energy-climate Nexus for a resource efficient Europe

Α novel methodology for addressing policyinconsistencies and knowledge gaps that hinder thetransition to a greater resource efficiency Europe isproposed. We focus on the integration of all differentsectors that interact and influence each other, namely the“water- energy- food- land use- climate nexus” and wedevelop tools for identifying and quantifying their complexinterlinkages under the influence of climate change. Inorder to achieve this, we employ a series of sophisticatedmodels (referred to as “thematic models”), each of whichaddresses a different nexus dimension, or a combination ofa few, while none addresses all nexus dimensions in anintegrative manner. We use dynamic systems modelingand other complexity science techniques in order to“merge” different thematic model outputs in a singlecoherent result, which is presented to the user in an easy tocomprehend Serious Game environment. This way, theeffect of policies that are designed to affect one field(nexus dimension) on others can be quantified andsimulated, thus informing policy-makers for theunintended consequences of their policies, reducinguncertainties, covering knowledge gaps and leading to aresource efficient Europe faster

The Battle of the Water Calibration Networks (BWCN)

Calibration is a process of comparing model results with field data and making the appropriate adjustments so that both results agree. Calibration methods can involve formal optimization methods or manual methods where the modeler informally examines alternative model parameters. The development of a calibration framework typically involves: (1) definition of the model variables, coefficients, and equations, (2) selection of an objective function to measure the quality of the calibration, (3) selection of the set of data to be used for the calibration process, and (4) selection of an optimization/manual scheme for altering the coefficient values in the direction of reducing the objective function. Hydraulic calibration usually involves the modification of system demands, fine-tuning the roughness values of pipes, altering pump operation characteristics, and adjusting other model attributes that affect simulation results, and in particular those that have significant uncertainty associated with their values. From the above steps it is clear that model calibration is neither unique nor a straightforward technical task. The success of a calibration process depends on the modeler's experience and intuition, as well as on the mathematical model and procedures adopted for the calibration process. This paper provides a summary of the Battle of the Water Calibration Networks (BWCN), the goal of which was to objectively compare the solutions of different approaches to the calibration of water distribution systems through application to a real water distribution system. Fourteen teams from academia, water utilities, and private consultants participated. The BWCN outcomes were presented and assessed at the 12th Water Distribution Systems Analysis (WDSA 2010) conference in Tucson, Arizona, September 2010. This manuscript summarizes the BWCN exercise and suggests future research directions for water distribution systems calibration