Task Committee Report on Shared Vision Modeling in Water Resources Planning

Shared vision modeling is a disciplined approach to developing water resources models for conflict resolution. Shared vision modeling requires both the use of time-tested planning procedures and the active participation of those likely impacted by a water resources plan. Stated most simply, shared vision models are computer models developed by stakeholders, water managers, and water planners that incorporate planning objectives and performance measures into a framework that allows the generation and evaluation of alternatives in a manner that facilitates conflict resolution. These models typically contain social, economic, and environmental impacts as well as hydrologic and hydraulic analysis. Because they require the active participation of a wide range of individuals, they must be easy to construct and modify, not just easy to run. In 1998, the Water Resources Planning and Management Division of ASCE developed a Task Committee on the Use of Shared Vision Modeling in Water Resource Planning. This brief paper presents the committee's goals and purposes. At the ASCE 2000 Joint Conference of Water Resources Engineering and Water Resources Planning and Management in Minneapolis, a summary of the committee work will be presented.