Interactive Water Resources Modeling and Model Use: An Overview

This serves as an introduction for the following sequence of five papers on interactive water resources and environmental management, policy modeling, and model use. We review some important shortcomings of many management and policy models and argue for improved human-computer-model interaction and communication. This interaction can lead to more effective model use which in turn should facilitate the exploration, analysis, and synthesis of alternative designs, plans, and policies by those directly involved in the planning, management, or policy making process. Potential advantages of interactive modeling and model use, as well as some problems and research needs, are discussed

Interactive Computer Technology for Planning and Policy Modeling

This paper speculates on the potential impacts of our increasing access to and use of computer technology and communication, especially with respect to planning and policy making. The focus of the discussion is on the interaction between the users of this expanding technology and the technology itself. Those involved in its development, whether it be the hardware or software of this technology, are in a position to make substantial contributions toward a more effective use of the models and their data bases by planners and policy analysts. Specific features of the technology and of environmental planning and policy-making processes are examined to identify where and how interactive computer-based models and associated hardware can best serve individuals, their organizations or institutions. Finally, the necessary conditions for the successful implementation of such tools and methods are identified

Impact of changing computer technology on hydrologic and water resource modeling

The increasing availability of substantial computer power at relatively low costs and the increasing ease of using computer graphics, of communicating with other computers and data bases, and of programming using high-level problem-oriented computer languages, is providing new opportunities and challenges for those developing and using hydrologic and water resources models. This paper reviews some of the progress made towards the development and application of computer support systems designed to aid those involved in analyzing hydrologic data and in operating, managing, or planning water resource facilities. Such systems of hardware and software are being designed to allow direct and easy access to a broad and heterogeneous group of users. These systems often combine data-base management; simulation and optimization techniques; symbolic colored displays; heuristic, qualitative approaches; and possibly artificial intelligence methods in an interactive, user-controlled, easily accessible interface. Individuals involved in the use of such systems are not only those with technical training, but also those representing different interest groups and having non-technical backgrounds. The essential difference between what is happening now and the more traditional off-line, non-interactive approaches is that instead of generating solutions to specific problems, model developers are now beginning to deliver, in a much more useful and user-friendly form, computer-based turnkey systems for exploring, analyzing and synthesizing plans or policies. Such tools permit the user to evaluate alternative solutions based on his or her own objectives and subjective judgments in an interactive learning and decision-making process

2000c) Urban environmental management: monitoring, GIS and modeling. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 23(1999

Urban environmental management must integrate the spatial, structural features of a city, typically captured in GIS, and the dynamics of environmental quality indicators that can be obtained by monitoring. To provide decision relevant information supporting planning and management, these components are integrated in models for scenario analysis and optimisation tasks. The paper describes some results from an environmental Telematics project (ECOSIM) and two Esprit projects (HITERM, SIMTRAP), as well as a EUREKA EUROENVIRON project (AIDAIR), and applications in cities such as Vienna, Berlin, Geneva, Basel, Milano, Athens, Gdansk, and Izmir. Strategies for the integration of monitoring, GIS, and modeling are presented, that use a common client-server architecture, an object oriented design, embedded expert systems technology, and a multi-media user interface to support easy access, and easy use of complex analytical tools for urban environmental management

Advanced Decision - Oriented Software for the Management of Hazardous Substances. Part III - Decision Support and Expert Systems: Uses and Users

Abstract not availableNA-NOT AVAILABL

A web-based water resources simulation and optimization system

Water is one of the controlling factors of regional development around the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean. Scarcity and conflict characterize water resource management in many countries and river basins. Rapid demographic and economic development especially of the coastal zone, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, and an often inefficient agricultural sector as the dominant water user contribute to the problem. Low availability of renewable water, overexploited groundwater, pollution, inefficient infrastructure, pronounced seasonality with unfavourable demand patterns very different from the seasonal supply aggravate the situation. Within the Framework of a FW6 sponsored INCO-MPC project, OPTIMA, a simulation based water resources planning and optimization system is being developed and applied in case studies in Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel, Tunisia and Morocco. The model system addresses both quantity and quality, water demand and supply, surface and groundwater, water technologies and efficiency of use, allocation strategies, costs and benefits. A web based client-server implementation supports distributed use and easy access, and a participatory approach involving local stake holders for multi-criteria optimisation and decision support. The optimization uses heuristics and concepts of genetic programming, based on a realistic, detailed, dynamic and distributed representation of the individual river basins. The underlying dynamic (daily) simulation model describes the water resources systems at a basin scale including the groundwater system for conjunctive use. The model covers the physiographic and hydrological elements, but also aims to represents the institutional and regulatory framework, and the socio-economic driving forces. The primary optimization identifies sets of non-dominated pareto-optimal solutions in heavily constrained scenarios; these are the basis for an interactive discrete multi-criteria selection with the participation of end users. The multi-criteria approach covers global and sectoral demand and supply balances, reliability of supply, access, cost and benefits, including environmental and social aspects. Arbitrary penalty functions can be used for the valuation of violation of standards and missing targets, both shortfalls of supply as well as excess (flooding or pollution). The approach and methodology are demonstrated using the case study of the Gediz river basin, which covers about 18,000 km2, approaches a total population of 2 million, and drains into the Aegean Sea. The case demonstrates the entire range of prototypical water management problems in the region, and their potential solutions. The case also demonstrates the importance of the institutional and regulatory framework, and the need for direct participation of major actors and stakeholders in the planning and decision making processes. A common shared and reliable information basis is a central element of the participatory approach