Civil and Environmental Systems Engineering

Civil and Environmental Systems Engineering is designed for a junior- or senior-year course on systems analysis and economics as applied to civil engineering. This civil system/engineering economics course has evolved over roughly the last 30 years and draws on the fields of operations research and economics to create skills in problem solving. Because of the presence of several more advanced sections and sections focusing on applications in the book, it may also he useful as a text for first-year graduate courses that introduce students to civil systems. The second edition improves on an already classic book in its field by introducing new material and reorganizing portions of the previous edition. The new material is designed to enhance the student's learning experience by introducing modeling ideas and concepts at the outset, prior to teaching the mathematical process of model building. Network flow problems are given special treatment by highlighting their study separately from the general integer programming models that are considered. As well, the range of examples offered for the student's consideration is expanded not only as a motivational tool, but to illustrate the breadth of applications possible. A number of new end-of-chapter questions have been added to enhance the already well-received engineering economics chapters. REORGANIZED CHAPTERS bull; bull;Chapter 1: bull; bull;Now combines the historical development of systems analysis and the steps a model builder follows in structuring an optimization model. bull;Includes verbal descriptions of settings where models can be employed. The student is challenged to identify, in the context of these settings, not only constraints and appropriate decision variables, but also the needed parameters and problem objectives. bull;Chapter 2: Now consists of the general form of the linear programming problem and nine examples or stylized problems that are described in detail, as well as solved, to help introduce the student to the concept of optimization modeling. bull;Chapter 6; All the major network flows concepts have been drawn together into one chapter. bull;Chapter 7: The topics of integer programming, branch and bound, and the applications of integer programming are now contained in their chapter.

The team of authors, ReVelle, Whitlatch, and Wright, is well credentialed to provide a text that delivers both solid technical content and quality communication. ReVelle, a professor at Johns Hopkins for more than 30 years, studied with one of the originators of systems analysis in water management and teaches a course in civil systems regularly. ReVelle is also the author, with his wife Penelope, of The Environment, a basic college text that has appeared in three editions, and more recently of The Global Environment. Whitlatch, a professor in civil engineering at Ohio State, has been teaching a popular and well-received civil systems course for over 25 years. Wright, the Dean of Engineering at University of California, Merced, and the founding editor-in-chief of The Journal of Infrastructure Systems, has been teaching courses on civil systems and engineering economics for more than 20 years. The authors have collaborated on research for three decades. All three authors have distinguished records of research and application. They enjoyed writing the text together and will be interested in your comments.