Author(s): Mariana Mocanu; Vacariu Lucia; Radu Bot; Maria Cheveresan; Marian Muste
Linked Author(s): Marian Muste
Keywords: Cyberinfrastructure; Decision-making process; Integrated water resources management; Decision-support systems; River pollution
Abstract: Contemporary water resources management is increasingly carried out with a vast amount of information produced by many sources in a variety of formats. The data and derived information is not solely related to the geo-bio-chemical processes involved in the water cycle but they also include the feedback associated with the socio-economic drivers that evolve continuously in the watersheds. Often, the needed data is acquired, transmitted, and accessed in real time for efficiently supporting the decision-making process. The real-time feature of the decision-making is especially important when dealing with accidental spills of harmful pollutants as is the case in the present discussion. Equally important is to access historical data for calibration and validation of the models used to simulate processes in the watersheds. Finally, an ideal information system should provide free and unrestricted access to a wide category of stakeholders with various levels of technical background. Collectively, these heterogeneous requirements pose considerable challenges for developers of decision-support systems that address all the above prerequisites. This paper describes the architecture and the development steps leading to an e-platform built with advanced computational and communications technologies that will enable implementation of a computer-assisted framework for managing water and land resources in a sustainable and integrative manner with initial focus on accidental spills of pollutants. This development is necessarily multi-disciplinary and complex as assumes the integration of quite disparate areas, from computer science to engineering and economics of water resources. The initial computer-based platform will be prototyped for a Romanian watershed. The system would provide: a centralized repository for the data concerning water management; workflows for data analysis and couplers for supporting the modeling at the watershed level; regulatory information involved in the decision making process; interoperability with other platforms that are compliant with the European-wide INSPIRE Directive; possibilities to conduct outreach and education opportunities in water area for a wide category of users.
Year: 2013