The purpose of IDEAS is to provide an Integrated Dynamic Environmental Assessment System within which modelling tools provide answers to real catchment questions about cumulative causes and effects of a mosaic of catchment developments. IDEAS is a scenario modelling tool designed to facilitate collaborative learning for catchment stakeholders. This is achieved by "a loose coupling of biophysical, economic and agent-based models". IDEAS runs multiple biophysical models simultaneously and summarises outputs as a mean value of "environmental intensity' for each land use. IDEAS may be applied at a range of scales, from local through to regional. However, it has particular strength at the catchment scale where biophysical processes have strong spatial interactions. IDEAS feeds information into the dialogue between stakeholders so that a shared vision of a catchment can be generated. It helps stakeholders understand the present status of the catchment, in terms of environmental, economic, and social performance, and how this can change with various catchment management scenarios. In technical stream of work the biophysical models predict the flow of water, and associated sediment, carbon, nutrients, and pollutants, through the catchment and into the marine environment. Inputs to the models is spatial data (land use is time dependent). Outputs from the models are time-dependent digital maps of mass flows (water, carbon, nutrients, and pollutants). No one model is able to handle all of the processes of interest in the catchment, so we plan to use several models of what we judge to be the important processes and to link them.
IDEAS is a set of linked models for assisting stakeholders in planning catchment futures. From a future vision of the catchment, which may be articulated in a variety of ways, IDEAS may be used to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the vision. Integration of environmental and socioeconomic factors facilitates learning by stakeholders of the impact of their personal visions on other stakeholders.
| Latest Version | 23 |
|---|---|
| State of Development | Closed Beta |
| Current Development Activity | No |
| Outcome Areas | Economic, Environmental, Social |
|---|---|
| Management Domains | Land, Coastal, Community |
| Subdomains | Fishing & Aquaculture |
| Intended End Users |
|
| Spatial Resolutions | 10-100m |
| Spatial Extents | Local (i.e. Catchment or District) |
| Spatial Dimensions | 1D, 2D |
| Temporal Resolutions | Years |
| Temporal Extents | Decades |
| Steady State or Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Level of Integration | Economic, Environmental, Social, Cultural |
| Key Input Data | Macro-economic data, Land Use, Land Cover, Rainfall, Runoff, Drainage, Temperature, Potential Evaporation, Population cohorts, Migration, Fertility, Deprivation index, Cultural |
|---|---|
| Input Data Formats | Any format one of the models support. |
| Key Output Data | Macro-economic data Water quality & quantity indicators, Jobs, CHI |
| Output Data Formats | not specified |
| Open/Closed Source | Closed Source |
|---|---|
| Licence Type | Not released to public. |
| Operating Systems | MS Windows |
|---|---|
| Software Needed | Excel |
| User Interface | No user interface |
| Ease of Use | Easy The coupling is easy to use. |
| Use in Policy Process | Plan (Policy Formulation) |
| Documentation | None |
| Support | There is willingness of the developers to support users |
| Users Forum | None |
| Programming Language | A variety of languages as it is a loose coupling. |
|---|---|
| Methods included for calibration and validation | All sorts of methods for the individual models. For example, NZEEM is validated using in-stream measurements. |
| Methods included for managing uncertainty | The coupling does not consider uncertainty |
| Analytical Techniques | use of environmental intensities |
| Model Structure |
Loose coupling of a variety of models |
| Keywords | policy development, catchment, model coupling, socio-economic |
| Linkages to other Models |
|
| Links | Linkages to other models is dependent on links to other models as it combines biophysical models (riverine water quantity, sediment, E. coli faecal bacteria, trout numbers, nitrogen transport, marine productivity), a socio-economic model (includes gross output, gross margin, job numbers), and an agent-based model. |
| Key References | Dymond JR, Davie TJA, Fenemor AD, Ekanayake JC, Knight BR, Cole, AO, de Oca Munguia OM, Allen WJ, Young RG, Basher LR, Dresser M, and Batstone CJ 2010. Integrating environmental and socio-economic indicators of a linked catchment-coastal system using Variable Environmental Intensity. Environmental Management 46(3): 484-493 - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00267-010-9539-6?LI=true Dymond J, Davie T, Fenemor A, Cole A, Montes de Oca Manguia O, Knight B. and Batstone C. IDEAS: an Integrated Dynamic Environmental Assessment System Hydrological Society Conference, Rotorua, 2007. - http://icm.landcareresearch.co.nz/knowledgebase/publications/public/hydrosoc_dymond.pdf |
The ICM Motueka Research Programme was a 9 year programme which commenced in July 2000 and concluded in September 2010, and whose goal was to conduct multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder research to provide information and knowledge that will improve the management of land, freshwater, and near-coastal environments in catchments with multiple, interacting, and potentially conflicting land uses. The Motueka River has been used for this project.
Read more