Providing decision support system in groundwater resources management for the purpose of sustainable development

Decision support system (DSS) for sustainable development is an efficient tool in managing aquifers, since an aquifer as a complex system is not a structural issue due to varied components. In this article, software entitled DSS-SMGW-01 is developed based on the so-called DSS to realize sustainable management of groundwater. This system includes a database, a simulation model, and a decision-making model controlled through a graphical user interface. This software controls exploitation of groundwater in managing subunits and integrated management of water resources and consumptions. Furthermore, management options are evaluated by the software according to aquifer sustainability and socio-economic indicators. In this system, WEAP-MODFLOW linked model (Water Evaluation And Planning system dynamically linked to the United States Geological Survey modular finite-difference groundwater flow model), Analytic Hierarchy method, and Simple Additive Weighting method are utilized for simulation of groundwater resources system, weighting indicators and prioritizing options, respectively. In order to evaluate efficiency of the exerted system, Qazvin plain data was used and 68 experts from different parts of water industry in Iran were consulted to have the best analysis on weighting the indicators. Consequently, the prepared system was found to be successful in designing and prioritizing the seven managing indices.