LINK CONCEPTS AND PARTITIONING IN MODEL FORMULATION

For any endeavour (application), the goal is to ensure the chance is h igh that the conclusions, which flow from the underlying problem-solvi ng, are valid and realistic. The extent and structure of the informati on available about the application and the degree to which this inform ation is exploited in the modelling are the keys to making the chance high. At one level, this depends on the nature and amount of the avail able data. At another, it relates to the quality of the modelling whic h connects the available data to the indicators which characterize the relevant decision-making quantitatively. The interest of this paper i s principally the latter aspect. The focus is link concepts which allo w a model, which connects the available data to the indicators, to be partitioned into a number of interrelated sub-models. Such partitionin g has a dual role in problem-solving in that it is a strategy for the formulation process itself as well as for the implementation of a mode l in terms of link concepts. The discussion is illustrated with a vari ety of examples including the modelling developed for a Decision Suppo rt System for the management of a beef cattle station in North Queensl and.