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Computer techniques in environmental studies III
Environmental Pollution 70 ( 1991 ) 180-181
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Book Review
Computer Techniques in Environmental Studies IlL Edited by P. Zannetti. Computational Mechanics Publications, Southampton, UK, 1990. ISBN 1-85312-090-1,646 pp. Price: £82 (hardback). This book contains the Proceedings of E N V I R O N S O F T '90, the Third International Conference on Development and Applications of Computer Techniques to Environmental Studies, held in Montreal 11-13 September 1990. The publication is divided into three major sections. The first section deals with meteorological and air pollution problems and contains 20 papers. The second section covering surface and ground water hydrology and water pollution contains 13 papers. The third and final section contains 17 papers and is the home for everything that does not fit easily into sections 1 or 2; there are contributions on data bases, numerical and statistical methods, performance evaluation, management, planning, risk assessment, noise and bushfires. The publication of conference proceedings is a delicate task, requiring patience and determination from the editor to avoid the many well-known pitfalls. The most c o m m o n of these is a long delay between conference and publication, but here editor Zannetti has managed to reverse the sequence; the Proceedings was published one month before the meeting was held. The danger of this approach is that papers have to be prepared and submitted many months before the meeting, losing the opportunity to include up-todate results and comparisons. There is some evidence that this has happened here. There are some references to 1989 and even 1990 publications, but most of these are self-references. The literature referenced in most of the Environ. Pollut. (70) (1991 ~ ' ~
Great Britain
180 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England. Printed in
Book review
181
papers was published in the years up to and including 1988, but this is not a major criticism of this book. Many papers published in current issues of environmental journals have experienced a two year delay between preparation and final publication. Problems with written English can be a problem with conference proceedings but here Zannetti has succeeded in producing contributions which can be read with ease. The only criticism with the production of the book, which appears to have been made from camera-ready copy, is that a number of computer-generated maps and figures are difficult to read. Some of the originals were obviously in colour and the production system has not coped well with this. The contents of the book are better than the average conference proceedings. A large proportion of the contributions would be accepted, after some modifications, for publication in an appropriate research journal. Some contributions are reviews of systems (computer based and governmental) which will be familiar to some but merit a wider audience. The main benefit of the book is that it demonstrates the wide range of computer applications to environmental systems and reports developments resulting from the interaction between software, hardware, environmental modelling and decision making. Many readers will have familiarity with some of these areas but the benefit of this book is that it is likely to widen their horizons. It is recommended to any organisation involved in research, consultancy or higher education in the environmental sciences. Unfortunately, its cost (£82 for a book produced from camera-ready copy) is such that, at most, these organisations will consider one copy for their library. R. Hamilton
.,,
.
,
{
Book Review
Computer Techniques in Environmental Studies IlL Edited by P. Zannetti. Computational Mechanics Publications, Southampton, UK, 1990. ISBN 1-85312-090-1,646 pp. Price: £82 (hardback). This book contains the Proceedings of E N V I R O N S O F T '90, the Third International Conference on Development and Applications of Computer Techniques to Environmental Studies, held in Montreal 11-13 September 1990. The publication is divided into three major sections. The first section deals with meteorological and air pollution problems and contains 20 papers. The second section covering surface and ground water hydrology and water pollution contains 13 papers. The third and final section contains 17 papers and is the home for everything that does not fit easily into sections 1 or 2; there are contributions on data bases, numerical and statistical methods, performance evaluation, management, planning, risk assessment, noise and bushfires. The publication of conference proceedings is a delicate task, requiring patience and determination from the editor to avoid the many well-known pitfalls. The most c o m m o n of these is a long delay between conference and publication, but here editor Zannetti has managed to reverse the sequence; the Proceedings was published one month before the meeting was held. The danger of this approach is that papers have to be prepared and submitted many months before the meeting, losing the opportunity to include up-todate results and comparisons. There is some evidence that this has happened here. There are some references to 1989 and even 1990 publications, but most of these are self-references. The literature referenced in most of the Environ. Pollut. (70) (1991 ~ ' ~
Great Britain
180 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England. Printed in
Book review
181
papers was published in the years up to and including 1988, but this is not a major criticism of this book. Many papers published in current issues of environmental journals have experienced a two year delay between preparation and final publication. Problems with written English can be a problem with conference proceedings but here Zannetti has succeeded in producing contributions which can be read with ease. The only criticism with the production of the book, which appears to have been made from camera-ready copy, is that a number of computer-generated maps and figures are difficult to read. Some of the originals were obviously in colour and the production system has not coped well with this. The contents of the book are better than the average conference proceedings. A large proportion of the contributions would be accepted, after some modifications, for publication in an appropriate research journal. Some contributions are reviews of systems (computer based and governmental) which will be familiar to some but merit a wider audience. The main benefit of the book is that it demonstrates the wide range of computer applications to environmental systems and reports developments resulting from the interaction between software, hardware, environmental modelling and decision making. Many readers will have familiarity with some of these areas but the benefit of this book is that it is likely to widen their horizons. It is recommended to any organisation involved in research, consultancy or higher education in the environmental sciences. Unfortunately, its cost (£82 for a book produced from camera-ready copy) is such that, at most, these organisations will consider one copy for their library. R. Hamilton