Incorporating expert decision support systems with traditional decision approaches of managers for improved flood control

Abstract

In this paper some of the work undertaken at this College as part of the EC research project AFORISM (A Comprehensive Forecasting System for Flood Risk Mitigation and Control) is described. This work included undertaking a review of existing computer based decision support systems, conducting interviews with potential users and managers, and surveying the relevant literature. Based on these activities we now have some views as to how the development of these systems might be improved. In general we argue that much more attention should be given to integrating these systems within the existing decision structures of organisations. Similarly we argue that in planning these systems equal attention should be given to improving and optimising the traditional manager decision approaches as to the optimisation of any computer based rule set. A theoretical problem related to these proposals, which we feel worthy of further investigation, is also presented.