Chapter 3 Decision-Aiding Tools for Remediation Strategies

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the state-of-the-art for the developed environmental decision support systems (EDSSs) and considers mainly the environmental decision support systems (EDSSs) developed either in the framework of the European projects or in the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects: FORM and RESCA. In both cases, the EDSSs are the products of international cooperation, where experience in the development of national decision support systems (DSSs) was assimilated and harmonized across the countries involved. Decision-aiding technologies based on the application of user-friendly computer programmes have received considerable attention in remediation planning in areas affected by the Chernobyl accident and have made a substantial contribution to the improvement of the existing emergency planning. The effectiveness of remediation strategies as well as necessary resources and costs to implement remedial actions varies depending on many factors, such as deposition characteristics, soil and climatic conditions, and agricultural production management. Because of these multiple factors affecting the feasibility of remedial actions, generalized recommendations that do not account for the diversity often result in inadequate decisions when applied at a local scale. These considerations have led to a need for the development of practical EDSSs capable of providing advice on remediation strategies.