Environmental models

Models of environmental processes can be put into groups depending on two kinds of criteria.

• How the model is an algorithmic compression of reality. Models can be grouped into four classes of algorithmic compression
  
  
  • Rule based (logical models)
    
    
  • Empirical (regression models)
    
    
  • Deterministic physical (everything known)
    
    
  • Stochastic physical (only probabilities known)
    
    
• How the model operates in space and time
  

(Burrough et al., 1995)