A SDSS-based Ecological-economic Modelling Approach for Integrated River Basin Management on Different Scale Levels – The Project FLUMAGIS

Spatial and planning support for the implementation of the European water framework directive (WFD) requires interdisciplinary approaches for assessment, deficit analysis, and scenario investigation. To support the implementation of the WFD, the paper presents the innovative spatial decision support system (SDSS) approach from the FLUMAGIS project which is based on the integration of methods for ecological and socio-economic assessment, scale-specific modelling, knowledge processing and techniques for visualization. The project has developed an interactive tool for the assessment and (three-dimensional) visualization of the hydrological and ecological conditions in river basins and economic aspects of river basin management measures. The tool is designed to increase awareness of catchment scale hydrological and ecological issues. The paper presents the structure of the FLUMAGIS prototype and provides examples of scale-specific recommendations for management measures to improve water quality and hydrologic conditions in the Upper Ems river basin (Northwest Germany). Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007