Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS
In late 2000, the European Union adopted the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and funded a series of research and innovation projects to support its implementation. One of these was the MULINO project (MULti-sectoral, INtegrated and Operational Decision Support System for Sustainable Use of Water Res...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Cambridge Prisms: Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2755177624000017/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797346854793379840 |
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| author | Carlo Giupponi Panagiotis Balabanis George Cojocaru Jacobo F. Vázquez Jaroslav Mysiak |
| author_facet | Carlo Giupponi Panagiotis Balabanis George Cojocaru Jacobo F. Vázquez Jaroslav Mysiak |
| author_sort | Carlo Giupponi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In late 2000, the European Union adopted the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and funded a series of research and innovation projects to support its implementation. One of these was the MULINO project (MULti-sectoral, INtegrated and Operational Decision Support System for Sustainable Use of Water Resources at the Catchment Scale). Its main product was a decision support system (mDSS) tool designed to help water managers make choices related to WFD implementation in a participatory manner. After the end of MULINO, a long sequence of research projects allowed for the maintenance and continuous development of its tool, which has been applied for more than 20 years in various contexts related to environmental and integrated management. This experience and an analysis of the literature allow us to draw some general conclusions regarding DSS tools for water management and their role in our societies. Lessons learned are proposed, from the need to frame tools within sound methodological frameworks for the management of decision processes, supporting instead of substituting decision-makers in their roles, to the trade-offs that appear between ease of use and specificity on one side and flexibility and reusability on the other. The specific strengths attributed to mDSS include the provision of an interface based on a simplified and understandable conceptual framework that facilitates communication with interested parties, the flexibility and ability to approach a wide variety of decisional issues, the relatively simple and understandable decision rules provided by the tool, and the simplified connections with other software environments. This paper presents the current version of the software and reports on the experience of its development and use over more than two decades; it also identifies the way forward. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:39:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-314c55a88f2244e28f71d1b455f5e02a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2755-1776 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:39:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cambridge Prisms: Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-314c55a88f2244e28f71d1b455f5e02a2024-01-25T09:12:06ZengCambridge University PressCambridge Prisms: Water2755-17762024-01-01210.1017/wat.2024.1Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSSCarlo Giupponi0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5358-9208Panagiotis Balabanis1George Cojocaru2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1432-364XJacobo F. Vázquez3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3963-5228Jaroslav Mysiak4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9341-7048Dipartimento di Economia, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, Venice, ItalyEuropean Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Brussels, BelgiumTIAMASG Foundation, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartamento de Economía Financiera y Contabilidad, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, SpainEuro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, Venice, ItalyIn late 2000, the European Union adopted the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and funded a series of research and innovation projects to support its implementation. One of these was the MULINO project (MULti-sectoral, INtegrated and Operational Decision Support System for Sustainable Use of Water Resources at the Catchment Scale). Its main product was a decision support system (mDSS) tool designed to help water managers make choices related to WFD implementation in a participatory manner. After the end of MULINO, a long sequence of research projects allowed for the maintenance and continuous development of its tool, which has been applied for more than 20 years in various contexts related to environmental and integrated management. This experience and an analysis of the literature allow us to draw some general conclusions regarding DSS tools for water management and their role in our societies. Lessons learned are proposed, from the need to frame tools within sound methodological frameworks for the management of decision processes, supporting instead of substituting decision-makers in their roles, to the trade-offs that appear between ease of use and specificity on one side and flexibility and reusability on the other. The specific strengths attributed to mDSS include the provision of an interface based on a simplified and understandable conceptual framework that facilitates communication with interested parties, the flexibility and ability to approach a wide variety of decisional issues, the relatively simple and understandable decision rules provided by the tool, and the simplified connections with other software environments. This paper presents the current version of the software and reports on the experience of its development and use over more than two decades; it also identifies the way forward.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2755177624000017/type/journal_articledecision support systemDSSwater managementsoftware development and maintenanceWater Framework Directive |
| spellingShingle | Carlo Giupponi Panagiotis Balabanis George Cojocaru Jacobo F. Vázquez Jaroslav Mysiak Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS Cambridge Prisms: Water decision support system DSS water management software development and maintenance Water Framework Directive |
| title | Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS |
| title_full | Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS |
| title_fullStr | Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS |
| title_short | Decision support tools for sustainable water management: Lessons learned from two decades of using MULINO-DSS |
| title_sort | decision support tools for sustainable water management lessons learned from two decades of using mulino dss |
| topic | decision support system DSS water management software development and maintenance Water Framework Directive |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2755177624000017/type/journal_article |
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