Deployment and training for end-users of a decision support system for water resources planning and operations for Greater Sydney

ABSTRACT

Management, operations, and planning in water resources management are required to respond to a multitude of challenging problems that may arise due to rapid change in climate conditions, extreme weather events, frequent and unforeseen incidents or on the other hand, long-term structured management decisions. This paper reports on deployment of a decision support system (DSS) for Greater Sydney supply systems known as the CARM Greater Sydney Project. Development and deployment of the DSS tool currently being undertaken by WaterNSW is based on integrated hydrological-hydrodynamic water quality models. The system architecture of the tool is underpinned by a set of baseline catchment models developed using eWater's Source modelling suite. Catchment modelling outputs are then fed into reservoir models as input which are housed in the AEM3D (a 3-Dimensional coupled Hydrodynamic- Aquatic Ecosystem Model) platform;providing a set of base cases to represent the fundamental catchment/lake conditions. Mike Workbench - an application developed by DHI is used as the DSS tool. Building on the baseline model, users can generate multiple scenarios with varying complexity by manipulating different parameters of the tool specific to a problem at a scale and level of complexity suited to the problem and needs of decision makers via Mike Workbench. Users can also compare the outcomes between different scenarios, facilitating the decision making for increasingly complex water resources management issues. An integral part of the project is to roll out a suit of comprehensive training on using this tool to different groups of users/stakeholders tailored by their needs and interest. The training and deployment of the new system were started during COVID shutdowns. The paper will provide an overview of the new system and how training was developed as part of the project and embedded through the deployment of the new DSS tool in a fully on-line mode. The lessons learned include providing training specific to user needs, time for practice and one on one support, but also cover planning and integration of the training throughout the project development and deployment. © Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022. All rights reserved.