The Zer0-m Decision Support System for Sustainable Water Management
go to the DSS webpage to test your case-study here
SWM appears - in theory - to be a very nice, environmental friendly, cost effective approach. But how to apply it in real life?
Are all SWM solutions - rain water harvesting, fluxes separation, low scale treatment, water reuse - always useful and practically suited?
And, having the opportunity to design a new system, how can I choose the more convenient layout of the many possible solutions?
The DSS system presently under construction by Zer0-M WP4 is thought to answer such questions.
DSS login screen
The user management of the system provides a personalised work environment for individuals and groups. 
Start page of the DSS
The system comprises a design support tool and an experience database that can be used independently. By opening an existing case study the user could see how similar problems have been faced in other experiences; creating a case study the user is able to start designing a SWM solution.
Case study datasheet
To create a case study, general information concerning the situation has to be given. This information is descriptive and is used both for the search of similar experiences in the experience database (thus, it helps to find SWM technologies suitable and recommended in context to the described case study) and to give some "default" value to the system to be used in the design phase and in the evaluation of the performance.
Design support system
The central point of the DSS is the interactive map. This map contains all information available about a case study area. Topographic and thematic information are visualised in their spatial context. The system provides functionalities to import geometric and thematic data in a standardised format. (Additionally, a simple GPS-based data acquisition tool is developed in order to facilitate the work (data collection) in the field and to provide the specified format.)
Spatial query
Spatial query functionalities are featuring distance measurement as well as information retrieval by the means of spatial selection.
Design of alternatives
The design of alternatives is done by positioning and connecting technical objects. This can be done by directly adding and editing objects on the map. In the background system based functions are checking the general consistency and admissibility of connections.
Design of alternatives
For a complete description, attribute information has to be given for each object positioned on the map, such as "how many people use this facility? how large are the impermable surface? how much does it costs this material?". Where possible, the system provides som default value, that can be used by the user, but there's always the possibility to directely introduce values, more correctely describing the local situation.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the alternatives developed is done on the basis of economic, socio-cultural and environmental models. The results of calculations/simulations are indicators representing the performance of the relevant alternatives or in, other words, what alternative is better under the economic, sociocultural and environmental point of view.
Reporting
Reporting includes the compilation of tabular or graphical (charts, map) output.
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