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Is private information (PI) similar to private personal property (PP) and intellectual property (IP)? Once lawfully obtained, can PI be sold or given to others who then have the right or ownership of the information? As detailed information and meta-data of human activity becomes more and more valuable to society, specifically in the areas of medical research, disease spread, disaster relief, businesses (e.g. marketing, insurance, and income), records of personal behaviors, statements of beliefs, and physical movement, these data and detailed information may become a valuable and quantifiable commodity. Trading in one's own private data comes with a set of risks and benefits that may differ by the domain of information (e.g. purchasing, social media, medical) and by subgroup (e.g. citizenship, professional profile, age).

Can we quantify the cost of privacy of electronic communications and transactions across society? That is, what is the monetary value of keeping PI protected, or how much would it cost for others to have or use PI? Should the government regulate this information or is it better left to privacy industry or the individual? Are these information and privacy issues merely personal decisions that individuals must evaluate to make their own choices and provide their own protection?

There are several things to consider when evaluating the cost of privacy. First, is data sharing a public good? For example, Center for Disease Control may use the data to trace the spread of disease in order to prevent further outbreak. Other examples include managing at risk populations, such as children under 16, people at risk of suicide, and the elderly. Moreover, consider groups of extremists who seek to hide their activities. Should their data be trackable by the government for national security concerns? Consider a person's browser, phone system, and internet feed with their personalized advertisements; how much is this customization worth?

Overall, when evaluating cost of privacy we need to consider all of these tradeoffs. What is the potential gain from keeping data private and what is lost by doing so?

As a policy analysis team for a national decision maker, your team's tasks are:

Task 1: Develop a price point for protecting one's privacy and PI in various applications. To evaluate this, you may want to categorize individuals into subgroups with reasonably similar levels of risk or into related domains of the data. What are the set of parameters and measures that would need to be considered to accurately model risk to account for both 1) characteristics of the individuals, and 2) characteristics of the specific domain of information?

Task 2: Given the set of parameters and measures from Task 1, model for cost of privacy across at least three domains (social media, financial transactions, and health/medical records). In your base model consider how the tradeoffs and risks of keeping data protected affect your model. You may consider giving some of the tradeoffs and risks more weight than others as well as stratifying weights by subgroup or category. Consider how different basic elements of the data (e.g. name, date of birth, gender, social security or citizenship number) contribute to your model. Are some of these elements worth more than others? For example, what is the value of a name alone compared with value of a name with the person's picture attached? Your model should design a pricing structure for PI.

Task 3: Not long ago, people had no knowledge about which agencies had purchased their PI, how much their PI was worth, or how PI was being used. New proposals are being put forth which would turn PI into a commodity. With the pricing structure you generated in Task 2, establish a pricing system for individuals, groups, and entire nations. With data becoming a commodity subject to market fluctuations, is it appropriate to consider forces of supply and demand for PI? Assuming people have control to sell to their own data, how does this change the model?

Task 4: What are the assumptions and constraints of your model? Assumptions and constraints should address issues such as government regulations (e.g. price regulations, specific data protections such as certain records that may not be subject to the economic system) and cultural and political issues. Based on your model and the political and cultural issues, consider if information privacy should be made a basic human right when thinking about policy recommendations. Consider introducing a dynamic element to your model by introducing the variations over time in human decision-making given changing personal beliefs about the worth of their own data (e.g. personal data such as name, address, picture), transaction data (e.g. on-line purchases, search history), and social media data (e.g. posts, pictures).

Task 5: Are there generational differences in perceptions of the risk-to-benefit ratio of PI and data privacy? As generations age, how does this change the model? How is PI different or similar to PP and IP?

Task 6: What are the ways to account for the fact that human data is highly linked and often each individual's behaviors are highly correlated with others? Data on one person can provide information about others whom they are socially, professionally, economically, or demographically connected. Therefore, personal decisions to share one's own data can affect countless others. Are there good ways to capture the network effects of data sharing? Does that effect the price system for individuals, subgroups, and entire communities and nations? If communities have shared privacy risks, is it the responsibility of the communities to protect citizens' PI?

Task 7: Consider the effects of a massive data breach where millions of people's PI are stolen and sold on the dark web, sold as part of an identity theft ring, or used as ransom. How does such a PI loss or cascade event impact your model? Now that you have a pricing system that quantifies the value of data per individual or loss type, are agencies that are to blame for the data breach responsible to pay individuals directly for misuse or loss of PI?

Task 8: Write a two-page policy memo to the decision maker on the utility, results, and recommendations based your policy modeling on this issue. Be sure to specify what types of PI are included in your recommendations.

Your submission should consist of:
    ● One-page Summary Sheet,
    ● Two-page memo,
    ● Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 23 pages with your summary and memo.
    ● Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 23-page limit and should appear after your completed solution.

A fragile state is one where the state government is not able to, or chooses not to, provide the basic essentials to its people. For the purpose of this problem  refers to a sovereign state or country. Being a fragile state increases the vulnerability of a country's population to the impact of such climate shocks as natural disasters, decreasing arable land, unpredictable weather, and increasing temperatures. Non-sustainable environmental practices, migration, and resource shortages, which are common in developing states, may further aggravate states with weak governance (Schwartz and Randall, 2003; Theisen, Gleditsch, and Buhaug, 2013). Arguably, drought in both Syria and Yemen further exacerbated already fragile states. Environmental stress alone does not necessarily trigger violent conflict, but evidence suggests that it enables violent conflict when it combines with weak governance and social fragmentation. This confluence can enhance a spiral of violence, typically along latent ethnic and political divisions (Krakowka, Heimel, and Galgano 2012).

Your tasks are the following:

Task 1: Develop a model that determines a country's fragility and simultaneously measures the impact of climate change. Your model should identify when a state is fragile, vulnerable, or stable. It should also identify how climate change increases fragility through direct means or indirectly as it influences other factors and indicators.

Task 2: Select one of the top 10 most fragile states as determined by the Fragile State Index (http://fundforpeace.org/fsi/data/) and determine how climate change may have increased fragility of that country. Use your model to show in what way(s) the state may be less fragile without these effects.

Task 3: Use your model on another state not in the top 10 list to measure its fragility, and see in what way and when climate change may push it to become more fragile. Identify any definitive indicators. How do you define a tipping point and predict when a country may reach it?

Task 4: Use your model to show which state driven interventions could mitigate the risk of climate change and prevent a country from becoming a fragile state. Explain the effect of human intervention and predict the total cost of intervention for this country.

Task 5: Will your model work on smaller "states" (such as cities) or larger "states" (such as continents)? If not, how would you modify your model?

Your submission should consist of:
    ● One-page Summary Sheet,
    ● Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 21 pages with your summary.
    ● Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 21-page limit and should appear after your completed solution.

最终，禁令生效后，需要在适当的地点设立足够数量的汽车充电站，以便人们可以使用汽车进行日常工作，以及偶尔进行长途旅行。然而，从汽油和柴油汽车向电动汽车的转变并不简单，不可能一蹴而就。在幻想世界中，我们有一天醒来时会发现每辆汽油车都被电动汽车取代，每个加油站都被充电站取代。在现实中，资源有限，消费者需要时间才能完成转换。事实上，充电站的位置和便利性至关重要，因为早期采用者和最终的主流消费者都会自愿转换（http://www.govtech.com/fs/Building-Out-Electric-Vehicle-Infrastructure-Where-Are-the-Best-Locations-for-Charging-Stations.html）。

当各国规划这一转型时，他们需要考虑最终的充电站网络（充电站数量、充电站位置、充电站充电器数量以及农村、郊区和城市地区需求的差异），以及充电站网络随时间的增长和演变。例如，当电动汽车占所有汽车的 10%、30%、50% 和 90% 时，充电站网络应该是什么样子？

当各国寻求制定促进电动汽车转型的政策时，他们需要设计一个最适合各自国家的计划。在开始之前，他们希望您的团队能够帮助他们确定充电网络的最终架构，以支持全电动汽车的全面采用。此外，他们希望您能确定在他们规划最终禁止或大幅减少汽油和柴油汽车的时间表时至关重要的关键因素。

为了帮助您的团队管理此问题的范围，我们要求您仅关注个人乘用车（即用于乘客的汽车、货车和轻型卡车）。在报告的最后，您可以简要评论您的发现和结论与商用车（包括重型卡车和公共汽车）的相关性。

您的任务如下：

任务 1：探索美国当前和不断增长的特斯拉充电站网络。特斯拉目前提供两种类型的充电站：(1) 目的地充电站，设计用于一次充电数小时甚至整夜充电(https://www.tesla.com/destination-charging)；(2 ) 超级充电站，设计用于长途公路旅行，只需 30 分钟的充电即可提供长达 170 英里的续航里程 ( https://www.tesla.com/supercharger )。这些充电站是许多拥有私人车库或带电车道的特斯拉车主使用的家用充电站的补充。特斯拉是否有望让美国完全转向全电动汽车？如果美国每个人都改用全电动个人乘用车，将需要多少个充电站，以及它们应该如何在城市、郊区和农村地区分布？

任务 2：选择以下国家之一（韩国、爱尔兰或乌拉圭）。

2a.如果您的国家可以立即将所有个人乘用车升级为全电动汽车（无需过渡时间），请确定充电站的最佳数量、位置和分布。影响您计划发展的关键因素是什么？

2b.虽然这些国家已经开始安装充电器，但您可以从头开始。提出一项提案，将您所选国家的充电网络从零充电器发展为完整的电动汽车系统。您建议该国如何投资充电器？该国应该先建造所有城市的充电器，还是所有农村的充电器，还是两者兼而有之？您会先建造充电器并希望人们购买汽车，还是会根据汽车购买情况建造充电器？影响您提议的充电站计划的关键因素是什么？

2c.根据您的发展计划，您建议贵国全面发展电动汽车的时间表是什么？首先，您可能希望考虑一下，在您选择的国家/地区的道路上，电动汽车占比需要多长时间才能达到 10%、30%、50% 或 100%。影响您提出的增长计划时间表的关键因素是什么？

任务 3：现在考虑地理、人口密度分布和财富分布差异很大的国家，例如澳大利亚、中国、印度尼西亚、沙特阿拉伯和新加坡。您提出的发展和改进充电器网络的计划是否仍然适用于这些国家？哪些关键因素促使选择不同的网络发展方法？讨论创建分类系统的可行性，该系统将帮助一个国家确定他们应该遵循的一般增长模式，以便他们成功地从汽油和柴油汽车转向全电动汽车。

任务 4：技术世界不断变化，并影响着交通选择，例如汽车共享和拼车服务、自动驾驶汽车、电动汽车快速电池更换站，甚至飞行汽车和超级高铁。评论这些技术如何影响您对电动汽车使用日益增加的分析。

任务 5：准备一份一页的讲义，供参加国际能源峰会的各国领导人参考。讲义应确定领导人回国时应考虑的关键因素，以制定国家计划，将个人交通工具转向全电动汽车，并设定禁止使用燃气汽车的日期。

您的提交内容应包括：
    ● 一页摘要表，
    ● 一页讲义，
    ● 您的解决方案不超过 20 页，最多 22 页（包括摘要和讲义）。
    ●注意：参考列表和任何附录不计入 22 页的限制，应出现在您完成的解决方案之后。

Eventually, when a ban goes into effect, there needs to be a sufficient number of vehicle charging stations in all the right places so that people can use their vehicles for their daily business, as well as make occasional long-distance trips. The migration from gasoline and diesel cars to electric vehicles, however, is not simple and can鈥檛 happen overnight. In a fantasy world, we would wake up one day with every gas vehicle replaced by an electric one, and every gas station replaced with a charging station. In reality, there are limited resources, and it will take time for consumers to make the switch. In fact, the location and convenience of charging stations is critical as early adopters and eventually mainstream consumers volunteer to switch (http://www.govtech.com/fs/Building-Out-Electric-Vehicle-Infrastructure-Where-Are-the-Best-Locations-for-Charging-Stations.html).

As nations plan this transition, they need to consider the final network of charging stations (the number of stations, where they will be located, the number of chargers at the stations, and the differences in the needs of rural areas, suburban areas, and urban areas), as well as the growth and evolution of the network of charging stations over time. For example, what should the network look like when electric vehicles represent 10% of all cars, 30% of all cars, 50% of all cars, and 90% of all cars?

As nations seek to develop policies that promote the migration towards electric vehicles, they will need to design a plan that works best for their individual country. Before they can begin, they would like your team鈥檚 help in determining the final architecture of the charging network to support the full adoption of all-electric vehicles. Additionally, they would like you to identify the key factors that will be important as they plan their timeline for an eventual ban or dramatic reduction of gasoline and diesel vehicles.

To help your team manage the scope of this problem, we ask that you focus only on personal passenger vehicles (i.e. cars, vans, and light trucks used for passengers). At the end of your report, you may briefly comment on the relevance of your findings and conclusions on commercial vehicles to include heavy trucks and busses.

Your tasks are the following:

Task 1: Explore the current and growing network of Tesla charging stations in the United States. Tesla currently offers two types of charging stations: (1) destination charging designed for charging for several hours at a time or even overnight (https://www.tesla.com/destination-charging); and (2) supercharging designed for longer road trips to provide up to 170 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes of charging (https://www.tesla.com/supercharger). These stations are in addition to at-home charging used by many Tesla owners who have a personal garage or a driveway with power. Is Tesla on track to allow a complete switch to all-electric in the US? If everyone switched to all-electric personal passenger vehicles in the US, how many charging stations would be needed, and how should they be distributed between urban, suburban, and rural areas?

Task 2: Select one of the following nations (South Korea, Ireland, or Uruguay).

2a. Determine the optimal number, placement, and distribution of charging stations if your country could migrate all their personal passenger vehicles to all-electric vehicles instantaneously (no transition time required). What are the key factors that shaped the development of your plan?

2b. While these countries have already started installing chargers, you get to start with a clean slate. Present a proposal for evolving the charging network of your chosen country from zero chargers to a full electric-vehicle system. How do you propose the country invest in chargers? Should the country build all city-based chargers first, or all rural chargers, or a mix of both? Will you build the chargers first and hope people buy the cars, or will you build chargers in response to car purchases? What are the key factors that shaped your proposed charging station plan?

2c. Based on your growth plan, what is the timeline you propose for the full evolution to electric vehicles in your country? To get started, you may wish to consider how long it will take for there to be 10% electric vehicles, 30% electric vehicles, 50% electric vehicles, or 100% electric vehicles on your selected country鈥檚 roads. What are the key factors that shaped your proposed growth plan timeline?

Task 3: Now consider countries with very different geographies, population density distributions, and wealth distributions, such as Australia, China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. Would your proposed plan for growing and evolving the network of chargers still apply to each of these countries? What are the key factors that trigger the selection of different approaches to growing the network? Discuss the feasibility of creating a classification system that would help a nation determine the general growth model they should follow in order for them to successfully migrate away from gasoline and diesel vehicles to all electric cars.

Task 4: The technological world continues to change and is impacting transportation options such as car-share and ride-share services, self-driving cars, rapid battery-swap stations for electric cars, and even flying cars and a Hyperloop. Comment on how these technologies might impact your analyses of the increasing use of electric vehicles.

Task 5: Prepare a one-page handout written for the leaders of a wide range of countries who are attending an international energy summit. The handout should identify the key factors the leaders should consider as they return to their home country to develop a national plan to migrate personal transportation towards all-electric cars and set a gas vehicle-ban date.

Your submission should consist of:
    ● One-page Summary Sheet,
    ● One-page handout,
    ● Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 22 pages with your summary and handout.
    ● Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 22-page limit and should appear after your completed solution.

Problem: Along the U.S. border with Mexico, there are four states – California (CA), Arizona (AZ), New Mexico (NM), and Texas (TX) 鈥� that wish to form a realistic new energy compact focused on increased usage of cleaner, renewable energy sources. Your team has been asked by the four governors of these states to perform data analysis and modeling to inform their development of a set of goals for their interstate energy compact.
The attached data file "ProblemCData.xlsx" provides in the first worksheet ("seseds") 50 years of data in 605 variables on each of these four states' energy production and consumption, along with some demographic and economic information. The 605 variable names used in this dataset are defined in the second worksheet ("msncodes").

Part I:
A. Using the data provided, create an energy profile for each of the four states.

B. Develop a model to characterize how the energy profile of each of the four states has evolved from 1960 – 2009. Analyze and interpret the results of your model to address the four states鈥� usage of cleaner, renewable energy sources in a way that is easily understood by the governors and helps them to understand the similarities and difference between the four states. Include in your discussion possible influential factors of the similarities and differences (e.g. geography, industry, population, and climate).

C. Determine which of the four states appeared to have the "best" profile for use of cleaner, renewable energy in 2009. Explain your criteria and choice.

D. Based on the historical evolution of energy use in these states, and your understanding of the differences between the state profiles you established, predict the energy profile of each state, as you have defined it, for 2025 and 2050 in the absence of any policy changes by each governor's office.

Part II:
A. Based on your comparison between the four states, your criteria for "best" profile, and your predictions, determine renewable energy usage targets for 2025 and 2050 and state them as goals for this new four-state energy compact.

B. Identify and discuss at least three actions the four states might take to meet their energy compact goals.

Part III:
Prepare a one-page memo to the group of Governors summarizing the state profiles as of 2009, your predictions with regard to energy usage absent any policy changes, and your recommended goals for the energy compact to adopt.

Your submission should consist of:
    ● One-page Summary Sheet,
    ● One-page memo,
    ● Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 22 pages with your summary and memo.
    ● Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 22-page limit and should appear after your completed solution.

Attachments:
ProblemCData.xlsx Includes two worksheets seseds and msncodes.

References:
State Energy Data System (SEDS) Complete Dataset through 2009 (All 50 states) https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/state-energy-data-system-seds-complete-dataset-through-2009#sec-dates

List of Languages by Total Numbers of Speakers.
Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_number_of_speakers on January 17, 2018.

Problem: A large multinational service company, with offices in New York City in the United States and Shanghai in China, is continuing to expand to become truly international. This company is investigating opening additional international offices and desires to have the employees of each office speak both in English and one or more additional languages. The Chief Operating Officer of the company has hired your team to investigate trends of global languages and location options for new offices.

Part I:

A. Consider the influences and factors described in the background paragraph above, as well as other factors your group may identify. Based on projected trends, and some or all of these influences and factors, model the distribution of various language speakers over time.

B. Use your model to predict what will happen to the numbers of native speakers and total language speakers in the next 50 years. Do you predict that any of the languages in the current top-ten lists (either native speakers or total speakers) will be replaced by another language? Explain.

C. Given the global population and human migration patterns predicted for the next 50 years, do the geographic distributions of these languages change over this same period of time? If so, describe the change.

Part II:

A. Based on your modeling from Part I, and assuming your client company wants to open six new international offices, where might you locate these offices and what languages would be spoken in the offices? Would your recommendations be different in the short term versus the long term? Explain your choices.

B. Considering the changing nature of global communications, and in an effort to save your client company resources, might you suggest that the company open less than six international offices? Indicate what additional information you would need and describe how you would analyze this option in order to advise your client.

Part III:

Write a 1-2 page memo to the Chief Operating Officer of the service company summarizing your results and recommendations.
Note: In your analysis, ignore unpredictable or high-impact, low probability events such as asteroid collisions that would cause a catastrophic jump in evolutionary trends over time, and possibly render all languages extinct.

Your submission should consist of:
    ● One-page Summary Sheet,
    ● Two-page memo,
    ● Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 23 pages with your summary and memo.
    ● Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 23-page limit and should appearafter your completed solution.

Problem:

Part I: Develop a mathematical model for this signal reflection off the ocean. For a 100-watt HF constant-carrier signal, below the MUF, from a point source on land, determine the strength of the first reflection off a turbulent ocean and compare it with the strength of a first reflection off a calm ocean. (Note that this means that there has been one reflection of this signal off the ionosphere.) If additional reflections (2 through n) take place off calm oceans, what is the maximum number of hops the signal can take before its strength falls below a usable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold of 10 dB?

Part II: How do your findings from Part I compare with HF reflections off mountainous or rugged terrain versus smooth terrain?

Part III: A ship travelling across the ocean will use HF for communications and to receive weather and traffic reports. How does your model change to accommodate a shipboard receiver moving on a turbulent ocean? How long can the ship remain in communication using the same multi-hop path?

Part IV: Prepare a short (1 to 2 pages) synopsis of your results suitable for publication as a short note in IEEE Communications Magazine.

Your submission should consist of:
     ● One-page Summary Sheet,
     ● Two-page synopsis,
     ● Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 23 pages with your summaryand synopsis.
     ● Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 23-page limit andshould appear after your completed solution.

Concerns about security of cryptocurrencies worry both citizens and economic analysts. These concerns have constrained its growth in some communities. On the other hand, much of the popularity of cryptocurrency is due to its departure from traditional overly-restrictive security and debt measures that rely on oversight by large banks and governments. These oversight institutions are often expensive, deeply bureaucratic, and sometimes corrupt. Some experts believe that a universal, decentralized, digital currency with internal security like blockchain can make markets more efficient by eliminating barriers to the flow of money. This is particularly important in countries where the majority of citizens do not have bank accounts and are unable to invest in regional or global financial markets. Some governments, however, view the lack of regulation around these currencies and their anonymity as too risky because of how easily they can be used in illicit transactions, such as tax sheltering or purchasing illegal merchandise. Others feel that a secure digital currency offers a more convenient and safer form of financial exchange. For instance, a universally accepted currency would enable truly global financial markets and would protect individual assets against regional inflation fluctuations and artificial manipulation of currency by regional governments. If alternative digital systems become more established, there will be many questions about how digital currency will affect current banking systems and nation-based currencies.

Your team’s submission should consist of:

• One-page Summary Sheet,
• One-page policy recommendation for national leaders,
• Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 22 pages with your summary and policy recommendation.
• Judges expect a complete list of references with in-text citations, but may not consider appendices in the judging process.
• Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 22-page limit and should appear after your completed solution.

References:

Paul Krugman, “O Canada: A neglected nation gets its Nobel”. Slate, Oct 19, 1999.
https://slate.com/business/1999/10/o-canada.html

Stephanie Lo and J. Christina Wang, “Bitcoin as Money?” Current Policy Perspectives,

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 2014.
https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/current-policy-perspectives/2014/bitcoin-as-money.aspx or https://www.bostonfed.org/-/media/Documents/Workingpapers/PDF/cpp1404.pdf

Glossary:

Anonymity - the state of being unnamed or unidentified; the state of being anonymous.

Blockchain - the record keeping technology that can document transactions between two parties in a verifiable and permanent way; a digital database containing information that can be shared and simultaneously used across a large publicly accessible and decentralized network.

Cryptocurrency - a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography (protecting information through the use of codes) for security.

Digital Currency - [digital money, electronic money, electronic currency] is a type of currency in digital (electronic) versus physical (coins, paper) form.

Illicit - illegal or dishonest.

Fluctuations - variations or oscillations; rises and falls. .

Monetary -relating to money or finances, or to the mechanisms by which money is supplied to and circulates in the economy.

Nation-based currencies - [national currencies] a system of money issued by a central bank and in common use within a particular nation or group of nations; examples are United States dollar (USD), Chinese renminbi (RMB or CNY), European Euro (EUR), British pound sterling (GBP), and Japanese yen (JPY).

Underground cult - hidden or mysterious group of people sharing an excessive devotion toward a particular person, belief, or thing.

Traditionally, most land use projects do not consider the impact of, or account for changes to, ecosystem services. The economic costs to mitigate negative results of land use changes: polluted rivers, poor air quality, hazardous waste sites, poorly treated waste water, climate changes, etc., are often not included in the plan. Is it possible to put a value on the environmental cost of land use development projects? How would environmental degradation be accounted for in these project costs? Once ecosystem services are accounted for in the cost-benefit ratio of a project, then the true and comprehensive valuation of the project can be determined and assessed.
Your ICM team has been hired to create an ecological services valuation model to understand the true economic costs of land use projects when ecosystem services are considered. Use your model to perform a cost benefit analysis of land use development projects of varying sizes, from small community-based projects to large national projects. Evaluate the effectiveness of your model based on your analyses and model design. What are the implications of your modeling on land use project planners and managers? How might your model need to change over time?
Your submission should consist of:

• One-page Summary Sheet,
• Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 21 pages with your summary.
• Judges expect a complete list of references with in-text citations, but may not consider appendices in the judging process.
• Note: Reference list and any appendices do not count toward the 21-page limit and should appear after your completed solution.

References:

Chee, Y., 2004. An ecological perspective on the valuation of ecosystem services. Biological Conservation 120, 549-565.

Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., de Groot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., Limburg, K., Naeem, S., O’Neill, R.V., Paruelo, J., Raskin, R.G., Sutton, P., van den Belt, M., 1997. The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387, 253-260.

G贸mez-Baggethuna, E., de Groot, R., Lomas, P., Montesa, C., 1 April 2010. The history of ecosystem services in economic theory and practice: From early notions to markets and payment schemes. Ecological Economics 69 (6), 1209-1218.

Norgaard, R., 1 April 2010. Ecosystem services: From eye-opening metaphor to complexity blinder. Ecological Economics 69 (6), 1219-1227.

Richmond, A., Kaufmann R., Myneni, R., 2007, Valuing ecosystem services: A shadow price for net primary production. Ecological Economics 64, 454-462.

Yang, Q., Liu, G., Casazza, M., Campbell, E., Giannettia, B., Brown, M., December 2018. Development of a new framework for non-monetary accounting on ecosystem services valuation. Ecosystem Services 34A, 37-54.

Data sources:

US based data: https://www.data.gov/ecosystems/
Satellite data: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/satellite-data/satellite-data-access-datasets

Glossary:

Biodiversity - refers to the variety of life in an ecosystem; all of the living organisms within a given area.

Biosphere - the part of the Earth that is occupied by living organisms and generally includes the interaction between these organisms and their physical environment.

Ecosystem - a subset of the biosphere that primarily focuses on the interaction between living things and their physical environment.

Ecosystem Services - the many benefits and assets that humans receive freely from our natural environment and a fully functioning ecosystem.

Environmental Degradation - the deterioration or compromise of the natural environment through consumption of assets either by natural processes or human activities.

Mitigate - to make less severe, painful, or impactful.

Valuation - refers to the estimating or determining the current worth of something.