Executing variables

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Summary

Purpose

This phase is about collecting the data needed, executing the models described in the Definition attributes of the variables, and storing the results in the result database.

This phase also performs assessment-specific analyses such as optimisation, decision analysis, value-of-information analyses and so on. These analyses are also discussed and conclusion are made about them. Also conclusions about the results of indicator variables given the scope of the risk assessment are made. The scope of these analyses is assessment-specific, and it goes beyond a single variable.

Structure of the process

Input format

Procedure

When the causal network has been developed into a relevantly complete and coherent description of the phenomena of interest on the variable level, the attention may be turned into evaluating the quality of the content of the description. This means e.g. deliberating if the result estimates of variables are good representations of the real-world entities that they describe, are the causalities properly defined, and are the assessment endpoints, key variables and indicators thus reliably estimated. This phase includes e.g. considerations of uncertainties, importance of variables, data quality etc. When the marginal benefit of additional efforts becomes small enough, i.e. additional work does not improve the output remarkably anymore, the assessment can be considered ready.

  • Data collection
  • Expert elicitation
  • Modelling & estimation
  • Assessment-level analyses
  • Testing & validation
  • Deliberations and discussions

Management

Output format

The outcome of this phase could be described as good quality causal network description. It means that all the necessary variables in relation to the scope of the assessment are described to a sufficient degree, providing the answers to the questions asked in the assessment. This is materialized as the definitions of the result attributes of each variable and the result attribute of the assessment.

Rationale

See also

References