Sensitivity analysis of model output

A summer school on the sensitivity analysis of model output will be held in Venice, Italy, from 25 to 30 July 1999. The school will be organised by the Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, in cooperation with the University of Venice.

The sensitivity analysis community is at present composed of investigators from a wide spectrum of disciplines, such as mechanics and economics. The summer school is taking place in response to a need to familiarise users with the discipline, and to inform other users of contiguous methods and/or fields of application.

Lectures will be based on a "Handbook for sensitivity analysis" which is currently being written. Speakers throughout the course will highlight the role of sensitivity analysis as a prerequisite for model building in any setting, either diagnostic or prognostic, and any field, be it mathematical, natural or social sciences, where models are used and developed.

Topics to be addressed during the course will include:

- What is sensitivity analysis?
- Local sensitivity analysis methods;
- Sensitivity analysis in reliability contexts (FORM and SORM methods);
- Screening methods in sensitivity analysis;
- Variance based sensitivity analysis;
- Applications of sensitivity analysis.
For further information, please contact:

European Commission
Joint Research Centre
Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety
Andrea Saltelli
I-21020 Ispra (VA)
Tel. +39-0332-789686; Fax +39-0332-785733
E-mail: andrea.saltelli@jrc.it