Difference between revisions of "Testiwiki:Structures of the building blocks of open risk assessments"

Revision as of 09:53, 25 May 2007

===Variables===D↷

Subtitles for DefinitionD↷

There can be several definitions for a variable, if there exists several independent sources of information. These are classified under four subtitles to be clear about their role. When the variable is modelled, however, a synthesis must be built on all of these in some way. This is a case-specific issue. If the variable is coded in Analytica, the code itself is located before these subtitles. It should be noted that if there are different kinds of information available, the code does NOT reflect the causal chains alone but has other links as well. (The text under subtitles should be located under Def attribute in Analytica, not in Definition attribute that is for the code only.)

• Causality: Describes the causal links to other variables (i.e., parents)
• Data: This is directly relevant measurement of the variable. It can also be an association (data or estimates from an analogous or similar situation) or a boundary condition (a group of variables including this one that cannot together exceed some limit, such as 100% of the total).

In wiki environment, there are additional rules:

• Each variable is located in the Variable namespace.
  • However, draft variables (when scope has not been fixed) may be parts of other pages.
• Each variable is one page.
• The name of the page is the same as for the variable. It is recommended that the name attribute is mentioned within the scope in bold, but it does not need to be in the exactly same format (it can be e.g. more precisely described).
• Scope starts with the word Scope in the previous line (wiki code '''Scope'''<br>. Subtitles are NOT used with Scope; this way, it locates above the table of contents.
• All other attributes are described under a second-level subtitle (==) that is equal to the name of the attribute.
• If subheadings are used, they are done with third-level ===subtitles===.
• Description may contain subheading
  • ===References=== (literature references) and
  • ===Indices=== (indices or dimensions that are necessary in the description of the variable. An example can be PM emission by sector, which must be indexed by a list or sectors to be meaningful.
• Definition may contain subheadings
  • ===Causality=== (for deriving the result from upstream variables),
  • ===Data=== (for deriving the result from data directly or using inference), and
  • ===Formula=== (for computer code calculating the Result).
• Also other subheadings may be used as necessary.

Discussions

Rules about resolving disputes

1. Any part of any variable (except the fixed attributes) is open for critical discussion about a dispute. A discussion has the following parts:
   1. Dispute is the subject of the discussion. The dispute consists of a list of two or more conflicting statements and a description on how the statements are in conflict in this particular context. If only one statement is listed, there is an implicit statement that the first one is not true.
   2. Argumentation is a hierarchical list of arguments that defend, attack, or comment the statement and other arguments. An argument consists of the argument itself, and signatures of the participants promoting the argument. Variables may also be used within arguments.
   3. Outcome is the result of the discussion. It may be a resolution (see below) or a dispute when resolution has not emerged.

In the wiki environment, there are additional rules:

• The template Discussion (previously Resolution) is used for structured discussion. The order of the parts is Dispute, Outcome, and Argumentation.
• It is preceded by a third-level subtitle (===) which consists of the attribute and the topic that are discussed.
• Templates Defend, Attack, and Comment are used in the discussion.
• Templates Defend_invalid and Attack_invalid are used for invalid arguments.

Categories

Categories are used to create hierarchical structures. Examples include

• General variable - variable with the same scope except with a more narrow spatio-temporal borders.
• General variable - variable with the same scope except with a more narrow subpopulation.
• Risk assessment - variables that belong to that assessment.

When a variable inherits properties from another variable, there is no need that it inherits the WHOLE variable. Instead, the inheritable pieces can be parts of a variable. In wiki, it is easy to make these inheritable parts as templates (which may have categories as necessary; in this case, also categories are inherited). But what are these pieces then, if they are not variables?

Open risk assessment

To perform an open risk assessment, several methods and tools are needed:

• Pyrkilo: a structured method for doing risk assessments in a participatory way.
• Pyrkilo-Wiki: a computer tool (platform) for doing risk assessments using the pyrkilo method
• Open Risk Assessment (ORA): a risk assessment that has been performed using pyrkilo, pyrkilo-wiki, and a completely open process in the Internet
• Heande (Health, the Environment, and Everything): a website for performing Open Risk Assessments, hosted by KTL/YTOS

Open risk assessment platform