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Recent international events like the UN Summit in Johannesburg (2002) and the3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto (2003) are reemphasising the importanee of meeting the difficult challenges related to the sustainable development of water and environment. Direct actions are proclaimed on improving water resources management and conserving natural resources. Also, the World Water Council is stressing the essential role of Information and communication technologies in knowledge sharing and technology transfer. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, is contributing to the education and training of water professionals and to capacity building around the world. In the field of Environmental Hydroinformatics, special interest is on developing computer-based Instruments for ecohydraulics modelling. Research topics include numerical simulation techniques as well as data driven modelling. Their integration into hybrid systems for decision support is at the core of this discipline. Artificial intelligence techniques are explored in this PhD research to derive knowledge and rules from in-situ and remote sensing measurements. Limited data is combined with expert knowledge to improve understanding of the processes involved. The Cellular Automata modelling paradigm is investigated with respect to characteristics of ecosystem simulation. A fuzzy logic rule-based system is developed and integrated into the cellular automata model. Case studies are carried out on harmful algal bloom prediction in Taihu Lake, China and along the Duteh coastal waters. The modules are coupled with the hydrodynamie and water quality modules of the software systems of WL | Delft Hydraulies.

In this thesis, several modelling approaches are explored to represent spatial pattern dynamics of aquatic populations in aquatic ecosystems by the combination of models, knowledge and data in different scales. It is shown that including spatially distributed inputs retrieved from Remote Sensing images, a conventional physically-based Harmful Algal Bloom model can be enhanced. Also, Cellular Automata based models using high resolution photographs prove to be good in representing aquatic plant growth. Multi-Agent Systems can capture well the spatial patterns exhibited in GIS density maps. A synthesis modelling framework was developed to include biological/ecological growth and diffusive processes, and local effects in conventional modelling framework. The results of the complementary modelling paradigms investigated in this research can be of help in achieving a sustainable environmental management strategy.

In this research a considerable amount of scientific evidence had been collected which leads to the conclusion that the urban wastewater components should be designed as one integrated system, if the protection of the receiving waters is to be achieved cost-effectively. Even more, there is a need to optimize the design and operation of the sewerage network and wastewater treatment plant (WwTP) considering the dynamic interactions between them and the receiving waters. This book introduces a method named Model Based Design and Control (MoDeCo) for the optimum design and control of urban wastewater components. The book presents a detailed description of the integration of modelling tools for the sewer, the wastewater treatment plants and the rivers. The complex modelling structure used for the integrated model challenge previous applications of integrated modelling approaches presented in scientific literature. The combination of modelling tools and multi-objective evolutionary algorithms demonstrated in this book represent an excellent tool for designers and managers of urban wastewater infrastructure. This book also presents two alternatives to solve the computing demand of the optimization of integrated systems in practical applications: the use of surrogate modelling tools and the use of cloud computer infrastructure for parallel computing.

Traditionally, wetlands were considered separately from river basin systems. However, nowadays an integrated approach is becoming common practice in wetland-riverine watershed analysis and management. Such overall wetland management approach implies not only an adequate representation of relevant bio-physical parameters, but also of socio-political and economic indicators, where stakeholders can provide crucial feedback. At several stages in the research, specific approaches were developed to deal with the typical problem of missing data. Using a cascade of quantitative models in combination with qualitative expert knowledge elicitation, a decision support framework is developed for selecting suitable management options for wetland-river systems in Ecuador.

In this thesis a range of modelling techniques is explored to deal effectively with flood risk management. In particular, attention is paid to floods caused by failure of hydraulic structures such as dams and dikes. The methods considered here are applied for simulating dam and dike failure events, flood water routing in downstream areas, and flood risk reduction, providing a unified framework for addressing a variety of flood related events. Numerical, statistical and constraint based methods are applied to the problem of breach modelling and flood water mitigation.

Floods are one of the most common and widely distributed natural risks to life and property worldwide. An important part of modern flood risk management is to evaluate vulnerability to floods. This evaluation can be done only by using a parametric approach. Worldwide there is a need to enhance our understanding of vulnerability and to also develop methodologies and tools to assess vulnerability. One of the most important goals of assessing flood vulnerability is to create a readily understandable link between the theoretical concepts of flood vulnerability and the day-to-day decision-making process and to encapsulate this link in an easily accessible tool.