Agent-Based Facilitation of Water Allocation: Case Study in the Drome River Valley

Abstract

International audienceThe purpose of the 1992 French Water Act is to encourage negotiation and dialogue among local stakeholderswithin a framework which is very similar to a patrimonial approach. Potential use of models in such post-normalapproaches is analyzed. Two kinds of models are compared: one is agent-based, the other follows a more classicalapproach. They are compared according to their contributions as negotiation support tools. This comparisonis based on a specific collective decision process dealing with water allocation at the sub-basin scale, in whichauthors are involved. Both are used to support collective decision processes through simulation of resource usedynamics. Agent-Based Models entail the broadening of spatial information of actors in the process, revealinginter-connected topics not taken into consideration earlier. This makes it possible to remain relevant, despite thesometimes rapidly evolving stakes. The central point of this paper is the implementation, within a practical application,of theories advocating the use of ABM as a collective decision support system. This application promotesa better understanding of the kind of support ABM provides and the way it does so. This is broughtabout more by re-framing the discussion and modifying the representation of the system on the part of thestakeholders than by providing specific agreements

Applications of Negotiation Theory to Water Issues

“…This is the idea behind the use of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) to simulate different water management scenarios, and hence help parties to identify the preferred management solution. To increase models' flexibility, Barreteau et al (2003) propose an Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) tool to support negotiations over water allocation among farmers in the Drome river valley in the South of France. Their work is based on an experiment conducted on water allocation rules.…”

Des outils et méthodes en appui à la gestion de l'eau par bassin versant

“…Les résultats de simulation, correspondant à des scénarios pertinents pour les participants, servent alors de support de discussion sur les enjeux réels après une discussion sur la représentation portée par le modèle, qui permet aussi un échange entre les participants sur leurs représentations propres. Ainsi dans la Drôme, le modèle GibiDrôme a permis d'une part d'identifier des espaces d'arrangement possible entre les parties prenantes et d'autre part d'amener certaines à préciser des hypothèses du modèle qui étaient gardées comme privées auparavant [33].…”

A Decision Support System for Integrated Tourism Development: Rethinking Tourism Policies and Management Strategies

“…Possible future impacts of the tested tourism policies may come from the results of MAS models, which offer a convenient framework for exploring the ways for different stakeholders with multiple views to negotiate their interests and create social constructions in order to take part to the policy process (Bousquet, 1997). Such an approach is now widely accepted for studying processes involving multi-stakeholder management systems and can be used for the construction of computer systems intended to provide support to decision makers engaged in solving semi-or ill-structured problems involving multiple attributes and various data-treatment models (Barreteau et al, 2003;Happe et al, 2006).…”