Contact: Ken Bovee
This prototype software consists of five Excel ® spreadsheets, linked by a system of Visual Basic Macros. The driver for the Delaware River Decision Support System (DRDSS) is a systems operations program called OASIS, used extensively by the Delaware River Basin Commission to simulate the effects of different reservoir operating rules on water exports, reservoir storage, and discharges at downstream locations. In addition to the five computational spreadsheets of the DRDSS, two utility spreadsheets—“met_data.xls” and “OASIS reformatterV2_1.xls”—are integral components to the system. “Met_data.xls” contains the meteorological data (historical, normal, and worst-case) needed to perform temperature simulations. The OASIS reformatter converts hydrologic information from OASIS into the format required for input to the DRDSS.
The DRDSS translates changes in hydrology (resulting from different reservoir operating and water allocation rules) into changes to fish habitat, water temperature, reservoir storage and spills, out-of-basin water exports, and downstream delivery requirements. Results are displayed in summary scoring tables that are color-coded to highlight increases or decreases in the decision variables. Although the DRDSS was designed specifically to address water management issues in the upper Delaware River, N.Y., the prototype has been made available as a template that could be modified for other river systems.
Users are advised to work on copies of the DRDSS master files instead of working on the original version. Certain algorithms and lookup tables in the DRDSS have been password-protected to minimize the potential for inadvertent modifications that could disable the software. If such modifications are necessary for a new application, please contact Ken Bovee at the U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center (boveek@usgs.gov, 970-226-9320) to obtain the password. For normal applications using data for the Delaware River system, only the hydrologic data from OASIS need to be changed, and this operation does not require a password.
For routine applications, a separate directory should be created and the entire contents of the DRDSS master folder copied into it. It is helpful to name the new directory according to its contents, such as the scenario to be tested. The DRDSS cannot be run from the native medium (the Web site) and must be downloaded to a hard drive. It is helpful to include a small “README” file to this directory that describes the operational modifications performed for the comparisons embodied in the particular DRDSS run. The first step will provide backup in the event that the DRDSS files are compromised. The second will assist the user in recalling the changes made to test an alternative. Describing the characteristics of the run is especially important if multiple runs are made, because some of the changes may be subtle. It can be extremely frustrating to arrive at a promising solution and not remember how it was derived.
A full description of the structure and functionality of the DRDSS, as well as user documentation, can be found in:
Bovee, K.D., Waddle, T.J., Bartholow, J., and Burris, L., 2007, A decision support framework for water management in the upper Delaware River: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1172, 122 p.
Available online at: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=21938
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Software/DRDSS/Default.asp
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