Policy Analysis of Safe Vertical Manoeuvring using Reinforcement Learning: Identifying when to Act and when to stay Idle

The number of unmanned aircraft operating in the airspace is expected to grow exponentially during the next decades. This will likely lead to traffic densities that are higher than those currently observed in civil and general aviation, and might require both a different airspace structure compared to conventional aviation, as well as different...

Complex Coastal Systems: Transdisciplinary learning on international case studies

The transdisciplinary research synthesised in this book represents an endeavour by a group of coastal researchers and policy analysts to learn from a cross-comparison of seven international case studies on tidal inlet or estuary mouth management situations, located in South Africa, Sri Lanka, California, Suriname, Ireland and the Netherlands....

Modelling Uncertainty: Developing and Using Simulation Models for Exploring the Consequences of Deep Uncertainty in Complex Problems

Simulation models are increasingly used for exploring the consequences of deep uncertainty in complex societal issues. The complexity of societal grand challenges, often characterised by the interrelatedness of different elements in the systems underlying these challenges, often renders mental simulation impossible, necessitating the use of...

The Participation Triangle: Involving Generation Y in energy strategy

The liberalization of the Dutch energy market has led to a change of relation between energy companies and their customers. At the same time, the Dutch energy policy expects energy companies to contribute to an energy supply that is cleaner, smarter and more varied, and available at any time at affordable prices. The situation since the...

An Economic, Environmental and Sustainability Assessment of a large scale biofuel industry in Suriname

In this study an economic, environmental and sustainability assessment is conducted on a potential large scale biofuel industry in Suriname, South America, by applying System Dynamics. Suriname faces important energy related questions for the future, this with the eye on the growing economy and energy demand and the responsibility in terms of...

Integrative approach to regional water schemes in South Africa

This article explores the use of a System Dynamics model as a boundary object in a case study regarding decision-making on water scarcity in South Africa. The model integrates expertise from the hydrological and ecological sciences with socio-economic information for a specific area, the Mossel Bay region. The model proved to be adaptable to...

A critical approach to some new ideas about the Dutch flood risk system

Decisions on measures to improve a flood risk system are in part supported by general ideas about how the system works and should work. After the completion of the Dutch Delta Works around 1990, such new ideas regarding flood risk emerged. Some of these may be appealing at first, but appear debatable after a closer look. In this paper, fourteen...

Understanding Urban Drinking Water Institutions: A micro-analysis on physical maintenance and investments issues, the Case of Lilongwe, Malawi and The Netherlands

The Water Board in Lilongwe, Malawi is facing enormous challenges in providing access to urban citizens to safe and affordable drinking water. These challenges includes; keeping production levels up with drinking water demand, reducing the amount of physical and commercial water losses and collecting sufficient revenue to cover operational cost,...

Policy analysis for the Dutch rail sector using System Dynamics

With a sizeable expected growth of demand for rail transport in the Netherlands the coming decades, and limited resources for expansion of the rail network, intensified utilization of the infrastructure is to be expected. To adequately manage this growth a ppropriate tools for policy analysis are needed. Because of the unstructuredness of many...

A Policy Analysis Approach to Making Strategic Decisions for the Sustainable Development of Harbin Eco-corridor System

“The battle for sustainable development, for delivering a more environmentally stable and healthier world, is going to be largely won and lost in our cities.” Klaus Toepfer, Former Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme said. "Over the past 50 years, humans have changed natural ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in...