Ventana software support forum

This is interesting stuff but Id like to know what questions you hope to
answer with your model. Richardson and Pughs textbook makes the point very
well that a model should be a simplification of reality designed to answer
some reasonably well-designed questions. They also state that an acid test
of its validity is the extent to which it does NOT answer its questions.

I am sure you will find material on desertification partly from the SD
bibliography but dont neglect the geological literature, Holmes The
Principles of Physical Geology is still good. You might also watch out for
articles in journals such as National Geographic, New Scientist and American
Scientist.

The only work I know which is even peripherally relevant is a paper by
Wolstenholme and myself on the nomads of the Sahel Development of system
dynamics as a rigorous procedure for system description, Journal of the
Operational Research Society, Vol. 34, No. 9, pp 885-898, 1983.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Geoff Coyle

geoff.coyle@btinternet.com
Professor Geoff Coyle
Consultant in System Dynamics and Strategic Analysis
Tel: (44) 01793 782817 Fax: 01793 783188