Integrated Water Resources Management

If you get a chance, you should attend this conference. It looks like a good one! http://www.iwrm-karlsruhe.com/en/home/homepage.jsp It will be held on 21-22 November in Karlsruhe, Germany. Main Topic: Interactions of Water with Energy and Materials in Urban Areas and Agriculture   Sub-Topics: Challenges for Future Cities and Efficient Agricultural Production Security and Efficiency of Water Infrastructures Energy Efficiency in Water Usage Heavy Rain and Flood Management Management of Waste Water Water Related Environmental Protection in Urban Planning Competing Water Uses Optimal and Sustainable Use of Water Climate Change and Effects on Water Resources Regulatory and Policy Framework Demand Side Water Management Water Efficiency Frameworks Public and Private Water Policies  

Often times, we need to choose between the conceptual modeling framework and the empirical. We should consider the definition of each: The empirical model   The empirical model attempts to establish a causal linkage between “X” and “Y” without detailed consideration of the internal processes. The equations and parameters of such model have limited physical significance. Instead, they are selected through optimization of some goodness-of-fit criterion. The conceptual model   The conceptual model represents, to the extent possible, all physical mechanisms that govern the process within the system.