Lean interfaces for integrated catchment management models: rapid development using ICMS

A move towards the development of lean, issue-focused interfaces is being explored to provide a rapid delivery mechanism to transfer catchment science to managers and custodians. This approach is a move away from development of large decision support systems which attempt to anticipate a myriad of management questions. It relies on having a modelling system which supports the rapid building and integration of catchment models, and is independent of the interface. ICMS (Interactive Component Modelling System) is a PC-based software tool which has been developed with this in mind. The kernel of the ICMS system, ICMSBuilder, provides the modeller’s view of the world, on top of which can be built any number of interfaces which provide the targetted audience’s view of the world. This paper presents an ICMS prototype to demonstrate the power and flexibility of such an approach. It describes an ICMS project - a suite of linked models which explore the relationships between hydrology, water allocation and extraction rules, and on-farm decision making; and an ICMS View - an interface for that project tailored to address specific management scenarios. Interestingly, the ability to interact with parts of the models through the View gave managers the confidence to delve into the underlying models and data, something often denied to them by traditional decision support systems

A regional water quality model designed for a range of users and for retrofit and re-use

We discuss the motivations for, and software design concepts underpinning, the development of a regional water quality model. The Environmental Management Support System (EMSS) was developed to predict daily fluxes of runoff, total suspended sediment, total nitrogen and total phosphorous through a large-scale river network. It was built using a custom environmental modelling framework called Tarsier, founded on the Borland C++ Builder rapid application development environment. Three autonomous models are integrated within the EMSS, but are loosely coupled so that alternative models could be retrofitted into the system if desired. The three models share common data handling and visualisation routines resident in the Tarsier modelling environment and used in other modelling applications. The EMSS was designed for use by a range of stakeholders with varying levels of computer and technical proficiency. To satisfy their varying needs, we built three different interfaces, suited to ‘expert’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘basic’ users. The interfaces for the latter two groups were developed using interface prototyping methods, resulting in software that suited the user requirements. The object-oriented design employed in the coding of the EMSS has enhanced the extendibility and re-useability of the software. The EMSS development was part of a larger hydrologic modelling initiative aimed at reducing duplication in model building and standardising approaches to model design and delivery. The lessons learned during development of the EMSS have informed our future model development strategy

A framework for engaging stakeholders in solving real-world water resources management problems

Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are becoming increasingly popular for solving environmental and water resources optimisation problems. In the past, the focus of these studies has generally been on methodological issues related to the optimisation algorithm, while the incorporation of stakeholder preferences in the MOEA solution process has largely been ignored. In recent years, there has been increased recognition of the need to apply these approaches to real-world problems to facilitate the realisation of their full potential. However, in most of these studies, stakeholder input was only used to direct the optimisation search process or select the final optimal solution(s), while the contribution of stakeholder input to other important components of the problem solving process was not considered. The reason for this is that the full consideration of stakeholder input in solving environmental and water resources optimisation problems requires the development of a more holistic approach, which involves a range of additional challenges. To address these challenges, a framework for including stakeholder input in real-world optimisation problems has been developed as part of the Optimal Water Resources Mix (OWRM) project initiated by the South Australian Government through the Goyder Institute for Water Research. The framework includes a conceptual framework (Figure 1) and a procedure for its implementation. The framework was applied to an urban water supply security study for Adelaide, South Australia. A summary of the framework and how it was implemented to identify optimal water sourcing options for the Adelaide case study is presented in this paper. This study highlights the important role of stakeholder input at the various stages of the problem formulation and optimisation process, analysis and results, although it can be expensive and time consuming to do so. It is recommended that adequate resources be made available for stakeholder engagement in project plans and budgets, as there needs to be clear and ongoing communication between stakeholder groups throughout the project. It also demonstrates that the use of MOEAs as the optimisation engine, together with appropriate stakeholder input, provides a combination that is well-suited to solving real-world water resources problems.W. Wu, H. R. Maier, G. C. Dandy, R. Leonard c, K. Bellette, S. M. Cuddy and S. Maheepal

Comparing modelling frameworks : a workshop approach

Of concern to the environmental modelling community is the proliferation of individual, and individualistic, models and the time associated with common model development tasks such as data transformation, coding of models, and visualisation. One way of addressing this problem is the adoption of modelling frameworks. These frameworks, or environments, support modular model development through provision of libraries of core environmental modelling modules, as well as reusable tools for data manipulation, analysis and visualisation. Such frameworks have a range of features and requirements related to the architecture, protocols and methods of operation, and it is difficult to compare the modelling workload and performance of alternative frameworks without using them to undertake identical, or similar modelling tasks. This paper describes the outcomes of a workshop to compare three frameworks - the Spatial Modelling Environment (SME), Tarsier and the Integrated Component Modelling System (ICMS). A simple environmental problem linking hillslope flow and soil erosion processes with a receiving water store was designed and then implemented in the three frameworks. It was found that the SME and Tarsier contained many components well suited to handling complex spatial and temporal models, with ICMS being an integrated framework tailored for smaller scale problems. Of the three tested frameworks, the SME proved superior in supporting problem description, Tarsier provided more flexibility in linking and validating the model components, and ICMS served as an effective prototyping tool. The test problem, and associated data and parameters, are described in detail to allow others to undertake this test.No Full Tex