Integration of High Resolution Models in Real Time Decision Support System, Application of AquaVar DSS

The groundwater in unconfined aquifers often plays significant role in supporting social development, especially for drinking water supply. Challenged by global trends such as climate change and growing of urbanization, the harmonization of groundwater demands in urban system becomes more complicated and sophisticated. In this case, to integrated manage the groundwater resouce, the classic Decision Support System (DSS), which mainly focusing on the data monitoring and assessment, could not able to satisfy the new requests of the decision makers, who expect to have deeper analysis of current situation and more detail forecast in real time. Under this situation, the numerical modelling techniques integrated with well spread real time monitoring system gains more interests by the DSS designers. After more than 30 years progress, the performances of numerical models of hydrology, hydraulic and pollution transport have been strongly enhanced. Cooperation with real time monitoring techniques, high resolution model simulation is able to provide sufficient and detail information of both current situation and future scenarios. Obviously, to introduce those new techniques into the DSS, the design of DSS architecture should be updated to let the system become more efficient and functional. This paper has presented one application of integrating high resolution model system in a real time DSS at Var catchment (2800km²) located at the French Mediterranean region. Three deterministic distributed models of hydrology, surface hydraulic and groundwater were individually set up with high resolution and then integrated into one modelling system which has been designed as the main analytic part of AquaVar DSS to have a clear view of both the complex hydrological system in Var catchment and water exchange between surface and shallow aquifers at downstream part of the catchment (last 22km). The engine of this modelling system has been successfully integrated into the web-based AquaVar DSS, which allow the users to checking three real time model simulations and choose the model to run with their designed scenarios through the online interface. The DSS design and modelling applications presented in this paper could be considered as one attempt of integrating new techniques into DSS for managing groundwater resource. And the similar approach could be also implemented in other managements of urban environment and social activities.