Systems analysis applied to management of water resources

Water plays a vital and strategic role in social and economic development throughout the world, and systems analysis is now a valuable tool for use in decision making with regard to the evaluation and management of water resources. However, the social and economic importance of water, availability and distribution problems, and the complexity of natural water resource systems all make an integrated, global approach to water resource management and development essential. Many of the papers presented at this international meeting use examples of experiences and problems from specific national projects to illustrate aspects of the application of systems analysis to water resource management. In addition to practical problems, there are also more theoretical discussions on mathematical modelling and the potential role of expert systems.