Talk:Decision analysis and risk management 2013/Homework

Homework 1: compilation of answers

1. What is the main purpose of environmental health assessment?
   • environmental health assessment is a tool which is used for decision making in order to analyse environmental issues and model those factors which affect the human health. in other words environmental assessment talks about actions and decisions that required to be done by decision makers to carry out the appropriate scientific knowledge and has got the a big impact on the environment health.
   • So as to provide vital information for decision makers. So as to assess the characteristics of human activity.
   • To improve deliberate plans of actions that guide decisions aiming for desired outcomes using knowledge provided by environmental health research and considering how different decisions and actions influence the environmental-health relationship.
   • The main purpose of environmental health assessments is to implement scientific base actions and support decisions on various environmental and health issues.
   • The main purpose of environmental health assessment is that decision makers would make that kind of decisions which improve humans´ health.
   • The main purpose of environmental health assessment is to apply information which is provided by environmental researches, to make models and calculations how decisions and actions affect to human health and nature. Environmental health assessment is done to support policy making and to ensure that decisions are knowledge-based and that the outcome is wanted.
   • To enhace health and well-being in society in a way that is also economically reasonable. To collect all the necessary information (and more) together e.g. for decision making
2. What is pragmatism?
   • is an idea which is used in environmental health risk assessment to merge the knowledge, innovation and practice according to people' thoughts and ideas in order to decide what actions have to be taken. in fact it is one part of the social process to use the knowledge in our everyday life.
   • Pragmatism (as defined by Charles Sanders Peirce and James Dewey) means that theory and practice are not perceived as separate entities, but instead the question in consideration is whether practices are intelligent or uninformed. Knowledge and action are thus seen as deeply intertwined.
   • Pragmatism is that theory and practice are not considered as two different entities but instead we have to think decisions and practices and think if they are sensible. Therefore theory and practice are intertwined.
   • a practical way to utilize information in reality
3. What are the main differences between regulatory and academic assessment approaches? Give examples of each.
4. What are the main differences between traditional and novel assessment approaches? Give examples of each.
5. What are the main differences between open assessment and most other assessment approaches?
6. What is benefit-risk assessment?
   • A science-based process where the benefits and risks for humans following exposure (or lack of exposure) are estimated qualitatively or quantitatively. It includes also the potential to integrate the estimates in to comparable measures.
   • Benefit–risk assessment (of Food and Nutrition) comprises a science-based process intended to qualitatively or quantitatively estimate the benefits and risks for humans following exposure (or lack of exposure) to a particular food or food component and includes the potential to integrate them into comparable measures.
   • Benefit-risk assessment is a certain kind of assessment type in which pros and cons of a phenomenon are studies. For example, eating fish due to its positive health effects (vitamin D, soft fats) is a better choice compared to a situation where people don´t eat fish due to its high concentration of environmental pollutants.
   • Benefit-risk assessment is needed when benefits of the decision are not so clearly bigger that risk. Benefit-risk assessment is needed to clear the situation and to weight the benefits and risk that decisions can be made.
7. What is impact assessment?
   • evaluation of all environmental factors that can have a big impact on the environment as well as living creatures and vegetation called impact assessment. in this topic social as well as economic factors must be taken into account. when some projects are about to be implemented decision makers and environmentalist must consider these factors to make sure that there is no threat for human and environment health and for society.
   • The process of evaluating potential impacts for example in the society i,e health, environment, or economy.
8. What different purposes are there for participation in assessment and/or decision making?
9. What are the dimensions of openness?
   1. Scope of participation, referring to who are allowed to participate in the process.
   2. Access to information, referring to what information regarding the issue at hand is made available to participants.
   3. Timing of openness, referring to when participants are invited or allowed to participate.
   4. Scope of contribution, referring to which aspects of the issue at hand participants are invited or allowed to contribute to.
   5. Impact of contribution, referring to what extent are participant contributions allowed to have influence on the outcomes, i.e. how much weight is given to participant contributions.
10. What relevant stakeholder roles are there in environmental health assessment and related decision making
11. What is effectiveness' in the context of environmental health assessment and related decision making?
12. What is the trialogical approach to knowledge creation and learning?
13. What is decision support?
14. What is a pragmatic knowledge service?
15. What is collaboration?
    • It is a process of sharing ones(idea,potential,or interest)to other
    • Collaboration is working together in order to create something.In environmental health assessments collaboration between e.g. scientists and decision-makers is vital since without it it´s difficult to get desired results improving human health.
    • to share information and knowledge of ones expertise and to work together for a common goal
16. What are the properties of good assessment?
17. What is the role of modelling in assessment and policy making?
18. What parts does the framework for effective assessment and knowledge-based policy consist of?
19. What does it mean that the results of assessments can be considered intentional artifacts?