Keywords
water allocation, software systems, software design, catchment management
Start Date
1-7-2006 12:00 AM
Abstract
Water resources management is increasingly dealing with competing demands for fixed or diminishing available supplies. In this , the allocation and accounting of water consumption between competing users, including environmental uses, plays a critical role. Various software tools have been developed to cover aspects of water resources planning and allocation, operation, and catchment management. In line with the requirements of water management agencies, attention is turning to the development of integrated tools with a broad range of capabilities that include water resource planning under different climatic and allocation policies, water supply under various operating rules and user behaviour, and catchment management and ecosystem condition assessment under different management regimes. This paper describes a preliminary software structure for water allocation, planning and management, starting from the basic concepts of availability, supply, demand and accounting, and outlining the class structure and interactions required to develop such as system. Classes are defined to provide a balance between elegance and utility, with much of the complexity that commonly arises from rule-based systems being contained within the availability and supply components. Development and testing of this structure is planned within an integrated tool designed to cover aspects such as water supply under short term forecasts, resource reliability under long term scenarios, and system response to a range of management behaviours.
A Conceptual Software System for Water Allocation, Planning and Catchment Management
Water resources management is increasingly dealing with competing demands for fixed or diminishing available supplies. In this , the allocation and accounting of water consumption between competing users, including environmental uses, plays a critical role. Various software tools have been developed to cover aspects of water resources planning and allocation, operation, and catchment management. In line with the requirements of water management agencies, attention is turning to the development of integrated tools with a broad range of capabilities that include water resource planning under different climatic and allocation policies, water supply under various operating rules and user behaviour, and catchment management and ecosystem condition assessment under different management regimes. This paper describes a preliminary software structure for water allocation, planning and management, starting from the basic concepts of availability, supply, demand and accounting, and outlining the class structure and interactions required to develop such as system. Classes are defined to provide a balance between elegance and utility, with much of the complexity that commonly arises from rule-based systems being contained within the availability and supply components. Development and testing of this structure is planned within an integrated tool designed to cover aspects such as water supply under short term forecasts, resource reliability under long term scenarios, and system response to a range of management behaviours.
