A Web-Based Collaborative Decision Support System for National Water Policy Planning

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a web-based collaborative decision support system (WCDSS) to enable stakeholders to evaluate and refine complex scenarios addressing the location, timing, and technology of water and related energy investments across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We start by providing insight into the utility of this WCDSS in the Kingdom in the framework of a strategic sustainable desalination network project. We present the components of the WCDSS: a GIS-based web interface and its layers, a common geospatial database, and a simulation and optimization engine to analyze various scenarios. This WCDSS enables participative data collection and interacts with different stakeholders. We present examples of the scenario analysis and conclude with perspectives to enhance the web-based collaborative decision support system.