Project description
Last UpDate: January 9, 2003
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The project GOUVERNe aims at the development and pilot implementation of a user-based and scientifically validated Decision Support System (DSS) for the improved management of underground water resources at the catchment and sub-catchment levels. Decision support is understood as not only the acquisition, scientific validation and organisation of information, but also procedures for effective exploitation of this information by users. The envisaged DSS will combine spatial representation, scenario simulation, multiple criteria evaluation and interactive user-friendly interfaces. It will furnish a validated scientific support for debate and deliberation by decisionmakers and stakeholders permitting intelligent compromises, identification of novel management options and, to the extent possible, cooperative conflict resolution.
GOUVERNe stands for Guidelines for the Organisation, Use and Validation of information systems for Evaluating aquifer Resources and Needs.* The work programme, spanning 30 months, defines a set of interlocking tasks in the following categories : (1) Project Coordination ; (2) Methodological specifications for hydrosystem, economic and spatial Data Analysis and Representation ; (3) Integrative and user-friendly Information Systems Design and Implementation exploiting the state of the art with interactive ICT ; (4) Case Studies of four major underground water resources ; (5) Integration and Validation Modules, including scientific quality assurance and stakeholder tuning ; (6) Documentation, Dissemination and Diffusion.
The project consortium includes private and public sector expertise in hydrosystem analysis, environmental and resource economics, sustainability policy, and applications and commercialisation of information systems and ICT products. Together, the eight partners in the consortium will create, test and demonstrate :
  • the representation of the current state of the hydrosystem, including a picture of its dynamics in linkages to human economic activities;
  • simulation and modelling components permitting the representation of possible futures, that is, scenarios of resource use and management options based on various
  • what if?" propositions;
  • lucid portrayal of systems uncertainties and conflicting options for water resource use, including extractive uses, water re-entry (including deliberate re-use and recycling) and in situ (non-extractive) uses;
  • integrated systems of indicators, tuned by reference to stakeholder preoccupations, that can be exploited as policy and management evaluation aids within a user-friendly, interactive multiple-criteria framework.
    Several groundwater users and management authorities will be involved as collaborators, providing data and in other cases contributing to appraisal and validation of the project's products.
The project will demonstrate feasibility of new ICT for user-friendly interactive decision support. Initial methodological and design work will define this potential and establish its high policy relevance (12 months). Results from four case studies will show how ICT can revolutionise both research and policy evaluation and communication processes (24 months). Two innovative SMEs will spearhead dissemination of information about the DSS prototypes and associated ICT products for business and public policy uses across Europe (30 Months).
 
Coordinator: Prof. Martin O'Connor
©2002, GOUVERNe Consortium