Decision support system for metabolism-based transition to urban water systems of tomorrow

A decision support system (DSS) tool for the assessment of intervention strategies in an urban water system (UWS) with an integral simulation model called ‘WaterMet²’ is presented. Lists of intervention options and performance indicators are exposed by the DSS for the user to define intervention strategies and metrics for their comparison. The quantitative and risk-based metrics are calculated by WaterMet² and risk modules, while the qualitative metrics may be quantified by external tools feeding into the DSS. Finally, a multi-criteria decision analysis approach is employed in the DSS to compare the defined intervention strategies and rank them with respect to a pre-specified weighting scheme for different scenarios. This mechanism provides a useful tool for decision makers to compare different strategies for the planning of UWS with respect to multiple scenarios. The suggested DSS is demonstrated through the application to a northern European real-life case study.