Online Course on Decision Support Systems in River Basin Management
For whom?
The course is designed for young and mid-level professionals who are involved in decision making processes in river basins at different levels, or those who are developing modelling and information systems support for managing water resources in river basins. Participants who want to develop competencies in these fields can also apply for the course.
Dates, Fee, ECTS
Start: 19 September 2016
End: 12 December 2016
Deadline IHE application: 05 September 2016 - 23.59 (CET)
Course fee: € 850
Start: 18 September 2017
End: 11 December 2017
Deadline IHE application: 04 September 2017 - 23.59 (CET)
Course fee: € 850
Learning objectives
Upon completion, the participant should be able to:
- identify the key challenges in River Basin Management and understand the need for decision support tools;
- translate RBM problems into structured decision making problems using systems analysis approaches through formulation of alternatives and objectives;
- identify the role and applicability of modelling simulation for the purposes of decision support;
- set-up and execute moderately complex river basin simulation models;
- identify the role and applicability of various optimisation techniques for the purposes of decision support;
- identify the role and applicability of Multi Criteria Analyses (MCA) techniques for the purposes of decision support;
- understand the generic structure of a computer-based DSSs used in RBM and distinguish different types of DSSs.
Course structure
The total study load is 140 hours distributed over 10 weeks (average study load of about 14 hours per week) and is equivalent to full-time study of 3 weeks.
Course content
River Basin Management
Introduction to the concept of RBM; Guiding principles in RBM; relations between the natural, socioeconomic and administrative systems; functions and users; Challenges: integration across functions, upstream-downstream integration, trade-offs; Nature of RBM complexity requiring decision support
Decision support: structuring decision making problems and solution techniques
Introduction to decision making processes; Formulation of objectives and alternatives; Hierarchical structuring of objectives; Formulation of alternatives in terms of control (decision) variables; Introduction to simulation, optimisation and multi-criteria analyses as techniques used in decision support
Modelling simulations as tools for decision support in RBM
Modelling paradigms: physically-based modelling, data-driven modelling-agent-based modelling; Types of modelling used for RBM: river basin modelling; catchment modelling; river and flood Modelling; water quality and ecological modelling; socioeconomic modelling; Special focus on River Basin Modelling; Computer exercises with River Basin Modelling Software
Optimisation techniques for decision support in RBM
Introduction to optimisation; Classical optimisation (calculus-based); Single-objective and multi-objective optimisation; Linear Programming; Dynamic Programming; Formulation of typical water resources problems as optimisation problems; Exercises with optimisation software packages
Multi-Criteria Analyses (MCA) techniques and their role in decision support for RBM
The need for MCA; Definition of MCA problems; Solution methods – compensatory and non-compensatory; Decision matrix and its use; Multiple Attributes Decision Methods (MADM); Computer exercises with DSS software that implements MCA
Structure and types of DSSs for RBM
Introduction to DSS as computer-based tools; Structure of a generic DSS; Types of DSSs; Examples of developed DSSs and case studies