HR: 17:30h
AN: H14A-07 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Integrated Forecast-Decision Systems For River Basin Planning and Management
AU: * Georgakakos, A P
EM: Aris.Georgakakos@gwri.org
AF: Georgia Water Resources Institute, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355
AB: A central application of climatology, meteorology, and hydrology is the generation of reliable forecasts for water resources management. In principle, effective use of forecasts could improve water resources management by providing extra protection against floods, mitigating the adverse effects of droughts, generating more hydropower, facilitating recreational activities, and minimizing the impacts of extreme events on the environment and the ecosystems. In practice, however, realization of these benefits depends on three requisite elements. First is the skill and reliability of forecasts. Second is the existence of decision support methods/systems with the ability to properly utilize forecast information. And third is the capacity of the institutional infrastructure to incorporate the information provided by the decision support systems into the decision making processes. This presentation discusses several decision support systems (DSS) using ensemble forecasting that have been developed by the Georgia Water Resources Institute for river basin management. These DSS are currently operational in Africa, Europe, and the US and address integrated water resources and energy planning and management in river basins with multiple water uses, multiple relevant temporal and spatial scales, and multiple decision makers. The article discusses the methods used and advocates that the design, development, and implementation of effective forecast-decision support systems must bring together disciplines, people, and institutions necessary to address today's complex water resources challenges.
DE: 1816 Estimation and forecasting
DE: 1857 Reservoirs (surface)
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
DE: 1873 Uncertainty assessment (3275)
DE: 1880 Water management (6334)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005