To aid with a sustainable management of the Wester Mountain Aquifer (WMA), a web-based Decision Support System (DSS) is being developed. The DSS is based on the numerical MODFLOW model of the WMA and incorporates results from the scenario analyzes, simulating the impacts of external factors (changes in land use, climate, and water management). The application consists of three components (figure 1): (1) an import routine to convert model results into the DSS data environment, (2) a control environment to change the configuration of a selected model (processed in a live routine for dynamic queries and responses), and (3) a graphical user interface (GUI) to visualize the modeling results. The visualization of the results provides estimates of sustainable yields for specific times and locations as a basis for decision-making. The DSS is developed in a continuous exchange with the project partners and with the intensive involvement of local stakeholders to guarantee the future use of the system.
Current status
First steps have been taken to implement an initial version of the DSS. The TU Berlin has provided us with a preliminary “dummy” version of the numerical MODFLOW model, which is used for the development of the software architecture and technical infrastructure of the DSS. Due to the upcoming mass data processing and the necessity of fast reaction times for users, we also carried out tests to increase and optimize the processing speed. The application has a responsive design, so that the DSS can also be used with mobile devices and lower screen resolutions and sizes.
Figure 2 gives an exemplary overview of the user interface currently under construction. In this particular example, the DSS visualizes precipitation levels for the Western Mountain Aquifer in 2014.
