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Call for Papers: Special Collection on the Practice of Decision Support in the Water Industry
Guest Editors:
Hui Wang, PhD, PE, Tampa Bay Water, ([email protected])
Tirusew Asefa, PhD, PE, F. ASCE, Tampa Bay Water and Water Utility Climate Alliance, ([email protected])
Casey Brown, PhD, Professor, University of Massachusetts, ([email protected])
Kavita Heyn, Adaptive Planning & Climate Manager, Portland Water Bureau and Water Utility Climate Alliance, ([email protected])
Leon Basdekas, PhD, PE, Upper Columbia Senior Water Manager, USACE, Seattle District, ([email protected])
Juneseok Lee PhD, PE, F. ASCE, Associate Professor, Manhattan College, ([email protected])
Aims & Scope
This special collection focuses on the transformative power of decision-support tools in water resources management. This initiative highlights how, through the convergence of innovative tool development and practical application, water practitioners and scientists can significantly enhance strategies for managing water resources. The collection aims to illuminate the myriad ways in which modern data analytics, sophisticated modeling techniques, adaptive planning, decision-making under deep uncertainty, and comprehensive system analysis are being developed and implemented to navigate the intricate challenges confronting water practitioners today, including professionals employed in both public and private sectors involved in water resources management.
These challenges are as diverse as they are complex, and include the immediacy of daily operational objectives, climate-related system impacts, constrained financial resources, increasing regulatory costs and challenges, and foresight required for strategic long-term planning. They encompass the full spectrum of water management concerns, including the assurance of water quantity and safeguarding of water quality. It is within this multifaceted context that the special collection seeks to underscore the indispensable role of decision-support tools in water resources management. By compiling a series of applied research and case studies, the collection intends to construct a detailed narrative on the integration of these tools into water management practices, demonstrating their capacity to underpin more informed, efficient, equitable and sustainable decision-making processes.
The envisioned outcome of this special collection is twofold. First, it aims to advance our collective understanding of the opportunities and limitations of current decision-support technologies, methods and approaches in addressing the pressing issues faced by water practitioners. Second, it seeks to catalyze a productive dialogue among the diverse stakeholders in the field of water resources management—practitioners, researchers, policymakers—thereby laying the groundwork for future innovations and methodological breakthroughs.
To this end, the special collection calls for contributions that embody cutting edge decision-support tool application and development:
Practical Applications by Practitioners: We invite submissions that delve into the use of decision-support tools and methodologies in real-world settings, offering an in-depth examination of their impact on water management practices. Contributors are encouraged to share insights into the outcomes and benefits realized through these tools, as well as any obstacles encountered in their deployment. Examples include modeling tools, decision-support framework and decision-making methods, and other approaches.
Utilization of Novel Datasets: This collection is particularly keen on research that incorporates fresh datasets, ones that have only recently become available. The aim is to uncover new perspectives and methodologies in water management that were previously unattainable. Examples include social equity data, big data, climate data, economic data, remote sensing data and more.
Creative Model Applications: Papers exploring inventive applications of existing modeling tools for system simulation will find a welcome place in this collection. Such contributions are essential in demonstrating how traditional models can be adapted to meet contemporary challenges in water resources planning and management. Examples include hydrologic, demand, climate, system and other water resource modeling applications.
Collaborative Tool Development: Lastly, we seek studies highlighting the development of new decision-support tools through collaborative efforts. This includes partnerships across academic disciplines, industry sectors, and regulatory and other stakeholders, underscoring the synergistic potential of collective endeavor in technological innovation. Both the process of cooperative tool development and/or actual execution of such case studies are encouraged. Examples include public-private partnerships, co-production between practitioners and researchers, and community engagement.
By bringing together the latest research, case studies, and theoretical advancements, the special collection aims not just to map the current landscape of decision-support tools in water resources management but to also inspire a forward-looking conversation on how these tools can evolve to meet the demands of the future.
Submission Deadlines
- Open Call for Paper: June 15, 2024
- Close Call for Papers: December 31, 2025
- Target to Complete: June 30, 2026
Submission Guidelines
- Please submit your manuscript via the ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management website.
- Once on the Editorial Manager website, please indicate that your paper is for the special collection “The Practice of Decision Support in the Water Industry”.
- Detailed information on the submission process is provided in the “Publishing in ASCE Journals” section of the ASCE Author Center.
Please note that all accepted papers submitted in response to this Call for Papers will be published in regular issues of the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management and assembled online on a page dedicated to this Special Collection. See Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management Special Collections for the list of Special Collections already published.