Lean interfaces for integrated catchment management models: rapid development using ICMS

A move towards the development of lean, issue-focused interfaces is being explored to provide arapid delivery mechanism to transfer catchment science to managers and custodians. This approach is a moveaway from development of large decision support systems which attempt to anticipate a myriad ofmanagement questions. It relies on having a modelling system which supports the rapid building andintegration of catchment models, and is independent of the interface. ICMS (Interactive ComponentModelling System) is a PC-based software tool which has been developed with this in mind. The kernel ofthe ICMS system, ICMSBuilder, provides the modeller’s view of the world, on top of which can be built anynumber of interfaces which provide the targetted audience’s view of the world. This paper presents an ICMSprototype to demonstrate the power and flexibility of such an approach. It describes an ICMS project - asuite of linked models which explore the relationships between hydrology, water allocation and extractionrules, and on-farm decision making; and an ICMS View - an interface for that project tailored to addressspecific management scenarios. Interestingly, the ability to interact with parts of the models through theView gave managers the confidence to delve into the underlying models and data, something often denied tothem by traditional decision support systems.