Identification of priority NRW-reduction measures using a decision support system.

Non-revenue water (NRW) defined by the standard International Water Association (IWA) terminology is an important issue in the management of water supply systems (WSS). Its main component, water loss, is traditionally challenged by the managers of the WSS. The issue of NRW reduction is gaining in importance due to several impact factors: ageing WSS, increased energy costs and also new requirements set by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Beside the conventional water loss requirements and indicators, WFD sets additional requirements defined by the objective status of water bodies. The directive was addressed by the WATERLOSS EU-MED project, within which a decision support system (DSS) for the induction of NRW-reduction measures was developed. The DSS targets beyond the standard benchmarking approaches with the evaluation of indicators that serve for the identification of necessary measures. In the process of DSS development, three key components were connected in operative DSS: (1) system of indicators that is based upon the modified IWA benchmarking system; (2) comprehensive classification of all identified NRW-reduction measures; and (3) a rule-based system that connects both and induces priority measures on the basis of evaluated indicators. In the article, all three components will be presented with special emphasis on the induction process. The induction process is based upon multidimensional clustering and embedded expert knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]