Development of a behaviour pattern-based testing approach for coupled socioeconomic and environmental models

Understanding the interactions between human and environmental systems is key to sustainable environmental management. Dynamically Coupled Socioeconomic system dynamics models integrated with physically-based Environmental Models (DCSEMs) are promising tools to appropriately capture the non-linear relationships between complex socioeconomic and biophysical systems, thereby supporting sustainable environmental management. However, existing approaches for testing integrated models are commonly based on the point-to-point analysis of model outputs, which is not suitable for DCSEMs that are behaviour pattern oriented. Consequently, the lack of well-defined behaviour pattern-based approaches has limited the adaptability of DCSEMs. To address this gap, this study proposes a novel behaviour pattern-based model testing approach that includes global sensitivity analysis (GSA), auto-calibration algorithms, and evaluation to assess behaviour pattern similarities between model outputs and real-world trends. The proposed approach is demonstrated through a real-world case study, in which an existing DCSEM is calibrated and evaluated to simulate water table depth in the Rechna Doab region of Pakistan. Compared to the conventional numerical point approach, the proposed approach is better suited for DCSEMs, as it replicates observed system behaviour patterns (as opposed to observed point values) over time. Furthermore, the outcomes of the Theil inequality statistical analysis and parameter distribution analysis provide evidence that the suggested approach is effective in testing and improving the performance of the DCSEM by capturing the spatial heterogeneity within the study area. The proposed behaviour-pattern testing procedure is a useful approach for model testing in data-limited, spatially-distributed DCSEMs.