The WaterCloud: an online decision support system for emerging substances

摘要

Emerging substances enter the water cycle through point sources (effluent discharges from waste-water treatment plants and industry) and diffuse sources (agriculture and stormwater run-off). Discharges from diffuse sources are through their nature difficult to monitor and to control, but are of importance as they affect many players in the water cycle. TAPES (Transnational Action Programme on Emerging Substances) is an EU INTER-PvEG IVB-funded project that brings stakeholders together in order to jointly decide how to deal with emerging substances. The aim of TAPES is to create an online decision support system (DSS) for emerging substances. The DSS is a computer-based information system that supports decision making processes and in the case of emerging substances helps stakeholders to decide on where to best address the issue of particular substances, how this is best done and at which cost, considering the potential negative impacts on human health and the environment. The DSS combines existing knowledge and expertise on the subject of emerging substances and new knowledge generated within TAPES.