Introduction

Note

This documentation is work in progress and far from finished. New sections will be added in the near future. Whenever questions or feedback is received from end users, we’re trying to update this documentation on the fly. So don’t hesitate to contact us, whenever you run into problems.

Multi-models (MMs), formed by coupling individual independent models, can serve as powerful instruments for analyzing complex real-world problems. Well-designed MMs can harness the capabilities of participating models, and save significant time by adapting and reusing existing models. However, creating MMs can be quite challenging. These challenges include technical aspects like managing data exchange and coordinating model runs, as well as conceptual aspects such as aligning different model scales and resolutions. Additionally, there are legal, ethical, and institutional challenges to consider, such as software licensing, intellectual property (IP) rights related to data and models, privacy and confidentiality concerns, and process coordination.

The MMviB project, acronym for Naar een Nationale Multi-Model infrastructuur voor integrale Besluitvorming in de energie transitie in Dutch multi-model.nl, seeks to address these challenges within the context of the Dutch energy transition. Its primary goal is to create a MM infrastructure (MMI), currently in its Minimum Viable Product stage, that facilitates repeatable and verifiable interactions among existing models to derive valuable insights for decision-making in integrated energy systems. This MMI is being collaboratively designed and developed by a diverse and extensive communities of practice including modellers, energy experts, decision-makers, and researchers. This collective effort involves eleven consortium partners who share a common commitment to advancing the field of integrated energy system decision-making.

This document is intended to communicate the vision, methodology, and preliminary results of our ongoing initiative, with the intention of fostering increased interest, research, and discourse on the subject of multi-modelling (referred to as MMing). Our aim is to cultivate a more robust and inclusive interdisciplinary community of multi-modellers (referred to as MMers), encompassing researchers and practitioners alike.