STEM Commons
The shared science, technology, engineering and mathematics behind every Nexus field: one canonical page per method, its steward platform and every platform that applies it.
- Institution
- The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)
- Service level
- R0: information and enquiries
Fig.The methods this platform draws on and what each one feeds. Design, not a record.
The short answer.
The STEM Commons is the shared reference of science, technology, engineering and mathematics methods behind every Nexus field, hosted by GCRI, with one canonical page per method, a steward platform and the list of platforms that apply it. When a finding names the methods it rests on, readers can see its assumptions and experts can challenge it.
Systemic exposure in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Where people and networks concentrate, the exposure through which shocks travel between systems, shown for Latin America and the Caribbean as an example geography for this subject.
Four strands, one canon.
One canonical page per method, stewarded by the platform that depends on it most.
Every finding published across the Consortium names the methods it rests on. Each method has one page here with its definition, data, validation and limits, and one steward platform that keeps it current. Platform pages that apply a method link back to it rather than restating it, so a correction to a method propagates to every page that uses it.
- ScienceWhat it holdsDisciplines that explain how systems behaveExample of a systemic useHydrology linking drought to power and crops
- TechnologyWhat it holdsInstruments, data and digital systemsExample of a systemic useEarth observation of flood extent across borders
- EngineeringWhat it holdsDesign and assurance of systems that must not failExample of a systemic useResilience engineering of interdependent networks
- MathematicsWhat it holdsInference, uncertainty, optimisation and decisionExample of a systemic useExtreme value theory for compound tail events
Reading a finding through its methods.
- Check the method's stated limits against the use made of it: a method validated on gauged basins says little about ungauged ones.
- Check the evidence label the finding carries: modelled, observed, scenario or expert judgement.
- Where two methods are combined, look for the dependence assumption between them; that is where cross-system analysis most often goes wrong.
Claims that can be checked.
When every finding names the methods it rests on, readers can see its assumptions and experts in those methods can challenge it. The Commons is the reference that makes that possible across three institutions.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| STEM Commons | The shared reference of science, technology, engineering and mathematics methods for the Nexus network, hosted by GCRI, with one canonical page per method and a named steward platform. |
| Steward platform | The platform that maintains the canonical description of a method in the STEM Commons and reviews how other platforms apply it. |
| Reproducibility | Obtaining consistent results using the same data and analysis code as the original study. |
| Model validation | Comparing model predictions with independent observations to judge fitness for a stated use. |
Where this page's references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Pages in STEM Commons.
Questions and answers.
Who stewards each method?
Around GCRI.
Start with an enquiry.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.