Introduction
Environmental Systems is a component of Encyclopedia of Environmental and Ecological Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias.
Environmental Systems is something about data handling, modeling and decision making in the field of environmental systems. It includes related basic knowledge on measurement techniques, modeling techniques and models and their applications for decisions making. Environmental engineering / research are based on measurement techniques and related knowledge of natural and life sciences. Developed mathematical and numerical simulation models are tools and strictly purpose oriented, that means suitable for decision making.
The three volumes on Environmental Systems are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.
Editor(s) Biography
Achim Sydow received Diploma (1957) and PhD (1968) in Mathematics from Humboldt-University of Berlin. Dr. sc. nat. (DSc) from Academy of Sciences, Berlin, Germany in 1982. His career is as follows: 1958-1975 Industrial Institute for Control Systems, Berlin (analysis and simulation of control systems).1975- 1991 Central Institute for Cybernetics and Information Processes, Academy of Sciences (analysis and simulation of environmental systems). Honorary Professor of Mathematical Cybernetics and Computer Science at the Technical University of Chemnitz (1971).Professor of Applied Systems Analysis at the Academy of Sciences (1984).1991 Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby. 1991 Visiting Professor at the University of Hagen, Germany. 1992, 1998 and 2002 Visiting Professor at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria. 1996 Visiting Professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.1997 and 1999 Visiting Professor at the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria , Spain. Since 1992 German National Research Center for Information Technology (GMD, since 2000 Fraunhofer Gesellschaft), FIRST, Berlin (parallel simulation of environmental systems). 2000 retired, cooperating scientist of FIRST. Since 1992 lectures at the Technical University of Berlin.
Scientific Society Activities: Vice President of IMACS (1991-98), Member of the Scientific Steering Committee of ERCIM for the cooperation with researchers in Eastern Europe (since 1994 -2009), General Chairman of the 15th IMACS World Congress 1997in Berlin, Germany, Vice President of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society IEMSS (since 2001- 2006), Member of the Board of Directors of the German National Member Organisation IIASA (2001 -2004).
Summary of last research activities: Founding Director of the Systems Analysis Department of GMD FIRS, Chairman of ERCIM Working Group Environmental Modelling, Editor of the journal Systems Analysis Modelling Simulation (Taylor& Francis Group), Editor of the book series Numerical Insight (Taylor & Francis, CRC Press), Editor of the volume Environmental Systems of the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (UNESCO Project).
Main publications: Author of 4 books on simulation (first book: Analog Computer Simulation, 3 editions 1964, 1968, 1974)
Editor of 20 books on Systems Analysis and Simulation, Author of more than 100 articles
