“All models are wrong, but some are useful”. This one-liner by statistician George Box roughly describes my contribution to Copernicos. Modeling & Simulation (M&S) has proven its worth in assisting policy makers over the last 50 years. M&S helps to provide insight into the dynamics of a system and is useful for policy testing. However, in some cases, these types of models are misused by decision-makers. The model is seen as a ‘holy grail’ to justify policy choices. This emphasizes the great responsibility of M&S engineers to clearly communicate the purpose of a model, which inherently implies that a model also has limitations in its use. My main task at Copernicos is therefore the custom development, validation and use of simulation models in the asset management domain.
Stefan is an external PhD student at TU Delft and officially employed by Copernicos. His research focuses on developing simulation models at different levels of detail, also known as multi-resolution modeling in the scientific world. This is important because strategic, tactical, and operational issues often require different model levels, but must still be aligned. The cases for research are given by Copernicos. Stefan’s ambition at Copernicos is to improve his analytical and technical skills, as well as to manage different interests, values and beliefs in the public administration arena.
