Rapid assessment of water systems based on internal consistency

Integrated water management is becoming increasingly complex, with decision makers faced with interacting socioeconomic, ecological, and physical processes, affecting the outcome of management strategies. The spatial and temporal consequences of decisions are not always clear, and often depend on uncertain and uncontrollable external factors. Rapid assessment modeling facilitates decision making by allowing for a comparison of various management alternatives in an early stage of policy formulation. The design of a rapid assessment model is usually based on intuition and practical considerations rather than sound scientific principles. A more systematic approach is described herein for the design of a rapid assessment model for coastal-zone management in Indonesia. A number of pitfalls encountered during the design phase of the model are discussed, along with potential solutions.