This book provides an easy-to-read, user-oriented introduction to mental models research and Mental Modeling TechnologyTM. Mental models are powerful influences human behavior. The book offers insight from the developers and most experienced application professionals of a widely proven methodology for understanding and influencing human judgment, decision making and behavior.The case studies show examples of the methodological concepts in their application context. It is one of the...

Today we are standing helpless and perplexed. With no glimmer of improvement anywhere in sight, we feel hopelessly propelled towards a forlorn future. It is understandable therefore than an increasing number of people, sick and tired of this insane activity, are now seeking ways to return to Mother Nature. Viktor Schauberger (1885–1958) Nature as Teacher, the second volume of the Eco-Technology series which presents the original, passionate and convincing research of Viktor Schauberger in ...

“The Limits to Growth” (Meadows, 1972) generated unprecedented controversy with its predictions of the eventual collapse of the world's economies. First hailed as a great advance in science, “The Limits to Growth” was subsequently rejected and demonized. However, with many national economies now at risk and global peak oil apparently a reality, the methods, scenarios, and predictions of “The Limits to Growth” are in great need of reappraisal. In The Li...

Current worldwide trends are not sustainable. The Club of Rome’s warnings published in the book Limits to Growth are still valid. Remedies that are acceptable for the great majority tend to make things worse. We seem to be in a philosophical crisis. Pope Francis says it clearly: our common home is in deadly danger. Analyzing the philosophical crisis, the book comes to the conclusion that the world may need a “new enlightenment”; one that is not based solely on doctrine, but instead address...

How does nature work? When one looks closely at the enormously complex web of life, it is impossible not to be caught by the wonder of how all living things – including rocks and crystals – are interconnected. Just as there is thought behind action, so there is energy behind matter. The Fertile Earth, the third volume of the Eco-Technology series which presents the original, passionate and convincing research of Viktor Schauberger in translation for the first time, contains his groundbreak...

The concept of a livable smart city presented in this book highlights the relevance of the functionality and integrated resilience of viable cities of the future. It critically examines the progressive digitalization that is taking place and identifies the revolutionized energy sector as the basis of urban life. The concept is based on people and their natural environment, resulting in a broader definition of sustainability and an expanded product theory. Smart City 2.0 offers its resident...

The authors offer a revolutionary solution to risk management. It’s the unknown risks that keep leaders awake at night—wondering how to prepare for and steer their organization clear from that which they cannot predict. Businesses, governments and regulatory bodies dedicate endless amounts of time and resources to the task of risk management, but every leader knows that the biggest threats will come from some new chain of events or unexpected surprises—none of which will be predicted using...

This book provides an in-depth analysis of investment problems pertaining to electric energy infrastructure, including both generation and transmission facilities. The analysis encompasses decision-making tools for expansion planning, reinforcement, and the selection and timing of investment options.In this regard, the book provides an up-to-date description of analytical tools to address challenging investment questions such as:How can we expand and/or reinforce ...

As industrial, commercial, and residential demands increase and with the rise of privatization and deregulation of the electric energy industry around the world, it is necessary to improve the performance of electric operational management*. Intelligent Energy Demand Forecasting* offers approaches and methods to calculate optimal electric energy allocation to reach equilibrium of the supply and demand.Evolutionary algorithms and intelligent analytical tools to improve energy demand...

This Brief provides a cross-sectional analysis of development-directed investments in the wider Mekong region. The wider Mekong region includes Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Chinese province of Yunnan. Evidence highlights that a few critical dynamics, including human migration, natural resource flows, and financial investments, generate a high level of connectivity between these countries. Such high levels of connectivity increase complexity and the potential for ripp...

This book focuses on theintroduction of new and modernmaintenance management frameworksof assets in the electricity & gas network sector and more specifically, on electricity networks for distribution. The author describes methodologies for developing and implementing maintenance management maturity models,using case studies to show how these have been applied. These maturity models are discussed as part of an...

The project CLEAN (CO2 Large-Scale Enhanced Gas Recovery in the Altmark Natural Gas Field) provides site specific knowledge for a potential future pilot project. This contributed volume gives an overview and final results of the entire project which is finalized to the end of 2012.