2nd UF Water Institute Symposium Abstract

   
Submitter's Name Jessica Bolson
Session Name Poster Session: Managing Water and Energy in a Transitioning Environment 1
Category Managing water and energy in a transitioning environment
Poster Number 303
 
Author(s) Jessica Bolson,  University of Miami, SECC
   
  System dynamics for integrated water resource management: Applying a group model building methodology to test learning from a system dynamics water balance model in South Florida
   
  Water resource management in South Florida is a complex and challenging undertaking. Changes in population, land use, agricultural requirements and climate variability and change contribute to the complexity of future planning. State, regional, and local water managers need scientific guidance in planning to cope with uncertain future challenges. System dynamics approaches can help meet this need by understanding how systems change over time by running "what if" simulations to test certain policies. A stakeholder based system dynamics water model was designed for the South Florida Water Management District. I applied a group model building approach to test the effectiveness of the approach to affect stakeholder thinking about complex management problems. Project outcomes described include the effect of system dynamics group model building on systems learning, the identification of stakeholder needs for information, a description of the scenarios discussed, and additional insights that emerged from the process.