| dc.description.abstract | Environmental problems are complex systemic problems, which can only be solved effectively with systems thinking. This means that, in the process of problem solving, information of the involving human-natural system’s structure, attributes, behaviors, relations and their dynamic changes are required for systematical analysis and problem solving. The current data models, such as relational data model, object-oriented data model, object-relational data model and object-event data model, can be used to organize certain data and are generally used by enterprise database system. However, they are not efficient and effective enough for collecting and integrating environmental data to generate the information mentioned above. In this study, a systematic object-event data model based on object-oriented thinking and systems thinking has been developed, which is more able to systematically collect and integrate environmental data. Comparing with a developed relational database through two case studies for industrial wastewater treatment plant management and integrated point source pollution management, it is shown that the SOE database is more comprehensible and flexible for data access and integration at different levels with its embedded systematic logics. Data distributed in diverse SOE databases are more capable to be significantly integrated to provide adequate information for better utilization in emergent environmental modeling or knowledge mining tools, such as declarative modeling, semantic modeling, and agent-based software or information systems.
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