Colorado Water Conversation Board Division of Water Resources

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A planning DSS is typically used where water resources development, management and protection are the central issues. Such studies involve reviewing long periods of historical data in order to validate a decision based on the long -term hydrologic characteristics of a basin. Studies may address issues such as ensuring minimum streamflows for fish or ensuring adequate reservoir storage to meet agricultural demands for irrigation water. A DSS devoted for administration tasks is typically used by state water officials for administering water rights. The administrative component of a DSS relies on real -time data and information to help make daily decisions involving water rights administration. An administration tool must deal with the cumulative hydrometeorological and operational forces that affect a river basin. The increasing complexity of water administration requires access to real -time diversion and streamflow data together with effective analysis tools. The increased complexity of water accounting required for augmentation plans and water rights transfers also requires efficient access by water managers and suppliers to the same real -time data. An integrated planning and administration DSS provides tools for planning studies and water rights administration. For example, an administrative tool may rely on displays of historical data and the planning model results to indicate the reasonable bounds of a real -time decision. The SPDSS is envisioned to be this type of DSS. 1.4.2 The "What If" Decision Process Most DSSs are implemented because there is a primary need to answer "what if' questions. The need for this capability may be driven by a number of reasons but is often related to management, environmental and legal issues (e.g., minimum flows for fish, interstate compact issues and water rights adjudication). In order to implement a decision support process for problem resolution, the problem and the objectives in solving the problem must first be clearly defined. Next, a procedure needs to be defined to analyze or solve the problem. If this cannot be done, then the problem may have to be redefined or broken into smaller components. The final output from the process is one or more tangible products. Quite often, in terms of water resources modeling, these are hydrographs or basin yield reports. 1.4.3 User - Friendly Interfaces for Decision Makers DSSs are typically developed around a series of databases. The databases can be accessed directly, or through graphical user interfaces (GUI) and analysis tools that are components of a DSS and that provide information to decision makers. This system structure and integration distinguishes a DSS by providing a framework with easy access to databases through user - friendly interfaces. CDSS utilizes this type of data - centered system (see Figure 1 -3). p:data \gen\spdss\fina1 report\chapter Ldoc 1 -9 October 31, 2001