A case study of resources management planning with multiple objectives and projects

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resources management plan (RMP) every four years or less. The plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects for four years, but they are prepared with little quantitative and analytical rigor and without formal decision-making tools. We have previously described a multiple objective planning process for inventory and monitoring programs (Schmoldt and others 1994). To test the applicability of that process for the more general needs of resources management planning, we conducted an exercise on the Olympic National Park (NP) in Washington State, USA. Eight projects were selected as typical of those considered in RMPs and five members of the Olympic NP staff used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize the eight projects with respect to their implicit management objectives. By altering management priorities for the park, three scenarios were generated. All three contained some similarities in rankings for the eight projects, as well as some differences. Mathematical allocations of money and people differed among these scenarios and differed substantially from what the actual 1990 Olympic NP RMP contains. Combining subjective priority measures with budget dollars and personnel time into an objective function creates a subjective economic metric for comparing different RMP’s. By applying this planning procedure, actual expenditures of budget and personnel in Olympic NP can agree more closely with the staff’s management objectives for the park.     

A COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS FOR MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION FOR RESERVOIR OPERATION1

ABSTRACT: Two major objectives in operating the multireservoir system of the Upper Colorado River basin are maximization of hydroelectric power production and maximization of the reliability of annual water supply. These two objectives conflict. Optimal operation of the reservoir system to achieve both is unattainable. This paper seeks the best compromise solution for an aggregated reservoir as a surrogate of the multireservoir system by using two methods: the constraint method and the method of combined stochastic and deterministic modeling. Both methods are used to derive the stationary optimal operating policy for the aggregated reservoir by using stochastic dynamic programming but with different objective functions and minimum monthly release constraints. The resulting operating policies are then used in simulated operation of the reservoir with historical inflow records to evaluate their relative effectiveness. The results show that the policy obtained from the combination method would yield more hydropower production and higher reliability of annual water supply than that from the constraint-method policy.     

SPATIALLY OPTIMIZING FOREST MANAGEMENT SCHEDULES TO MEET STORMFLOW CONSTRAINTS1

ABSTRACT: A spatial optimization model is developed and used to limit cumulative effects resulting from storm events by strategically arranging and scheduling forest treatments to meet peak storm-flow constraints. A mixed integer forest management scheduling formulation is used to select the location and timing of forest treatments. The approach includes simulated spatial routing of storm-flows imbedded as hydrologic process constraints (in a nested schedule) within longer-term forest management planning periods in the mathematical programming model. Although difficult to solve, the model shows promise for further research.     

有限运力条件下的地震救灾物资调度模型及方法

救灾物资的调度是地震救灾工作中的一个重要环节。如何将地震救灾物资以时间最短、安全性最高及经济性最好的方式运送到物资需求点是救灾物资调度的关键。本文从时效性、安全性及经济性方面考虑了地震救灾物资的调度问题。建立了运力不足的条件下,时间最短、出救点数目最少、安全性最高的地震救灾物资调度数学优化模型;将问题转化为不受运力约束的情况,求解出可行方案的集合,再利用模糊规划对每个可行方案求最优解;通过比较最优解,求出时间最短,出救点数目最少,安全性最高的方案。最后,通过一个仿真算例阐述了本文方法的使用。     

基于AHP LP法的南水北调中线水资源优化配置

水资源是不可替代的重要自然资源和战略性经济资源，水资源优化配置是解决水资源问题的重要手段。为促进区域水资源供需状况相对平衡，按可持续发展的要求，根据区域水资源优化配置的含义和南水北调河北省受水区的具体情况，以有限水资源综合效益最大为目标，考虑水源可供水量、用户需水量和水环境与经济系统协调发展等约束，采用层次分析法与线性规划法相结合的方法，建立了水资源优化配置模型，并对模型的目标函数、约束条件和主要参数确定进行了初步探讨。最后用该模型进行了南水北调河北省受水区2005年和2010年95%保证率下的水资源优化配置研究，并对求解结果进行了分析、评价及展望。结果表明，南水北调工程实施后，能够解决河北省受水区严重缺水的状况。     

室内空气品质评价新模型的建立与应用

基于财务管理信用评价的方法,建立了一种全新的室内评价模型.该模型兼具现有3种主要的室内空气品质客观评价方法的优点,又集简便性和实用性于一体.并且通过实践检验,证实了该模型的正确可行性.     

规划岸线影响下的电厂冷却水数值模拟

随着深圳南山区规划岸线的实施,将影响该海区潮流流态,给前湾燃机电厂的循环冷却水工程造成影响.针对这种情况,利用数值模拟对现状海域流场进行了验证计算,对规划岸线下的流场变化情况及电厂温排水的水力热力特性进行了模拟.在考虑取水温度、经济性、环保性的基础上,为环境评价提供了科学依据.     

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN THE MULLICA RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: The potential withdrawal of water from the Mullica River-Great Bay Estuary is southern New Jersey prompted a joint study by biologists and engineers to determine the maximum supply of water that could be diverted from the basin without causing undue environmental impacts. The effect of removal of water from the basin over long periods of time was simulated by review of records of a severe drought. Based on analysis of streamflows and salinities during these drought conditions, minimum mean monthly streamflows were determined corresponding to the maximum salinities tolerable by the fish and shellfish communities, important sources of revenue and recreation in the region. A physically optimized, chance constrained linear programming model was developed for the conjunctive use of ground and surface waters. Adjusting water withdrawal from streamflow and groundwater sources according to physical and seasonal criteria would permit maximum use of the basin's resources, with no additional burden on the ecology of the estuary.     

COST EFFECTIVE OPERATION OF URBAN WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM USING DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING1

ABSTRACT: Efficient operation of a city water supply system is an important goal of all municipalities. Efficient operation should result in minimum operation cost through reduction in total energy use and/ or reduction in on-peak energy consumption. An optimization model was designed for operating the water supply systems of cities using groundwater. The Newton-Raphson pipe network was used for network analysis and a dynamic programming optimization algorithm was used for determining a schedule for pump operation in the pipe network system. The model is most suitable for use in small cities with up to 45,000 in population, but with large-scale disintegration techniques may also be used for larger cities. The savings in operation costs are a function of energy cost and energy use pattern and water use pattern in the area.