Multicriteria Decision Support System for Regionalization of Integrated Water Resources Management

Successful implementation of integrated water resources planning and management (IWRM) requires delineation of regions that are relatively homogeneous with respect to multiple criteria, including hydrographic, physical-environmental, socioeconomic, and political-administrative aspects. The water resources planning and management (WARPLAM) DSS is presented as tool for regionalization in support of IWRM through: (1) GIS processing of spatial data related to multiple criteria for defining the homogeneity of clustered base units (e.g., catchments) with respect to multiple criteria; (2) application of fuzzy set theory to development of composite measures of homogeneity over all criteria for alternative clustering of adjacent base units; and (3) development of a modified dynamic programming clustering algorithm that guarantees consistent optimal solutions based on user preferences on the relative importance of the suite of criteria considered for regionalization. The viability of WARPLAM DSS as a tool for regional delineation in support of IWRM is demonstrated through a case study application to the Tocantins-Araguaia River Basin, the second largest in Brazil.