Systems Informatics and Analysis - Engineering and Science of Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision - page 189

Chapter 8
Systems Informatics and Analysis
Yogendra Shastri , Alan C. Hansen , Luis F. Rodríguez , and K. C. Ting
Abstract Various biomass feedstock production and provision (BFPP) tasks
discussed in earlier chapters are highly interconnected. Design and operational
decisions for any task impact decisions for most other tasks. In view of such com-
plex interactions, it is critical that we also look beyond an individual task and focus
on the techno-economic feasibility of the complete production and provision sys-
tem. This calls for a holistic view of the BFPP system. Systems theory based
approaches that integrate systems informatics and analysis methods are ideally
suited to achieve this objective. This chapter reviews the literature on the applica-
tion of such approaches for BFPP. The basics of informatics, modeling and analysis,
and decision support are fi rst discussed. Then their applications for different system
classes, namely, crop growth and management systems, on-farm production sys-
tems, local biomass provision systems, and regional/national/global systems, are
presented. The literature review illustrated that applications of the systems-based
tools at the crop growth, establishment, and management levels as well as the local
biomass provision level have been numerous. Many of these developments have built
on tools already existing for conventional crops. Systems theory applications to the
on-farm production scale have been limited, possibly due to lack of fi eld study data as