An Integrated Decision Support System for the Planning, Analysis, Management and Rehabilitation of Pressurised Irrigation Distribution Systems

Water scarcity is a mounting problem in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Mediterranean. Therefore, smarter and more effective water management is required, especially in irrigated agriculture. Irrigation infrastructure such as pressurized irrigation distribution systems (PIDSs) play an important role for the intensification of agricultural production in the Mediterranean region. However, the operation and management of these systems can be complex as they involve several intertwined processes, which need to be considered simultaneously. For this reason, numerous decision support systems (DSSs) have been developed and are available to deal with these processes, but as independent components. To this end, a comprehensive DSS called DESIDS has been developed and tested in the framework of this research. This DSS has been developed bearing in mind the need of irrigation district managers for an integrated tool that can assist them in taking strategic decisions for managing and developing reliable, adequate and sustainable water distribution plans, which provide the best services to farmers. Hence, four modules were integrated in DESIDS: i) the irrigation demand and scheduling module; ii) the hydraulic analysis module; iii) the operation and management modules; and iv) the design and rehabilitation module. DESIDS was tested on different case studies located in the Apulia region, where it proved to be a valuable tool for irrigation district managers as it provides a wide range of decision options for proper operation and management of PIDSs. All this is obtained through a DSS that offers: i) high level of interactivity; ii) complete control of the irrigation managers; iii) adaptability and flexibility to the problems related to the operation of PIDSs; and iv) effectiveness in assisting irrigation managers with the decision making. The developed DSS can be used as a platform for future integrations and expansions to include other processes needed for better decision-making support.