Paper/Poster/Presentation Title
We C.A.N. Do It: Actively Engaging Stakeholders in Modelling
Keywords
Bow River; Engaging Stakeholders; Environmental Negotiations; Computer Aided Negotiation; Computer Modelling for Decision Support; live Modelling; Hydrologics; OASIS
Location
Session F3: Modeling with Stakeholders: Old Problems, New Solutions
Start Date
17-6-2014 10:40 AM
End Date
17-6-2014 12:00 PM
Abstract
Active stakeholder participation is critical when trying to find local solutions to environmental problems. When consultants present externally developed suggestions, stakeholders often distrustful. This paper describes a novel methodology that encourages and stakeholder participation, trust, and cooperation while developing model-informed solutions to such issues. This process is illustrated by examples from recent work in the Bow River Basin in Alberta, Canada.
The Computer Aided Negotiation process (CAN) is a form of Computer Modelling for Decision Support developed by Hydrologics Inc. and facilitated with OASIS software. It has 4 main stages intended to keep stakeholders engaged and clear difficult problems in advance of the negotiation itself. These stages are:
- Develop Performance Measures
- Aggregate/Evaluate Data
- Build Model
- Develop and Evaluate Alternatives
The key to this process is that each step involves both developing materials for the negotiation itself as well as providing a forum for resolving major disagreements in isolation - i.e. preventing issues from compounding themselves. Data sources, for example, are often contentious. Discussing and developing a data source with the stakeholders prior to modelling allows the stakeholders to trust the model's results. Similarly, developing performance measures at the beginning allows stakeholders to legitimize their interests and gives them an opportunity to dive deeper into what they really want to see in a practical sense. What a stakeholder thinks they want, and what they really want after reflection, may be very different things.
Using this process Hydrologics has helped develop solutions in water management for nearly 20 years in both US and international settings. As environmental issues become ever more pressing, these processes have become increasingly critical.
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Data Storage Systems Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Other Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons
We C.A.N. Do It: Actively Engaging Stakeholders in Modelling
Session F3: Modeling with Stakeholders: Old Problems, New Solutions
Active stakeholder participation is critical when trying to find local solutions to environmental problems. When consultants present externally developed suggestions, stakeholders often distrustful. This paper describes a novel methodology that encourages and stakeholder participation, trust, and cooperation while developing model-informed solutions to such issues. This process is illustrated by examples from recent work in the Bow River Basin in Alberta, Canada.
The Computer Aided Negotiation process (CAN) is a form of Computer Modelling for Decision Support developed by Hydrologics Inc. and facilitated with OASIS software. It has 4 main stages intended to keep stakeholders engaged and clear difficult problems in advance of the negotiation itself. These stages are:
- Develop Performance Measures
- Aggregate/Evaluate Data
- Build Model
- Develop and Evaluate Alternatives
The key to this process is that each step involves both developing materials for the negotiation itself as well as providing a forum for resolving major disagreements in isolation - i.e. preventing issues from compounding themselves. Data sources, for example, are often contentious. Discussing and developing a data source with the stakeholders prior to modelling allows the stakeholders to trust the model's results. Similarly, developing performance measures at the beginning allows stakeholders to legitimize their interests and gives them an opportunity to dive deeper into what they really want to see in a practical sense. What a stakeholder thinks they want, and what they really want after reflection, may be very different things.
Using this process Hydrologics has helped develop solutions in water management for nearly 20 years in both US and international settings. As environmental issues become ever more pressing, these processes have become increasingly critical.
