The primary benefits of SimBLOX to the public are that it helps private and government organizations become better stewards of taxpayers' dollars and it protects our natural resources. The proposed research and resulting proof-of-concept model for this Phase I effort has enormous potential to assist water management agencies in drafting and implementing more effective policies and practices related to managing their overall systems. In addition, SimBLOX will allow alternatives to be considered and decisions made in a much shorter span of time without expending real world resources. Other benefits include being able to clearly and visually demonstrate the cause-and-effect relationships among various elements in the overall water delivery system, as well as enabling better forecasting and planning for a water delivery system. OBJECTIVES: For the Phase I effort, viaSim proposes to accomplish the following five (5) technical objectives: 1. Confirm that the cause-and-effect diagram in Figure 1 holds valid for long-term planning for any water service provider in a rural community. Revise as necessary. 2. Complete the development of a prototype set of SD-based simulation models (SimBLOX) that embody the diagram in Figure 1. Revise as necessary. 3. Translate the SD-based models from Objective 2 into a user-friendly application to be used by planners and managers at organizations that provide water services. 4. Evaluate the utility, effectiveness, and benefits of the prototype application compared to spreadsheets by using the prototype to address a selected set of real world water management issues provided by the City of Terrell and Dr. Ron Griffin (water resource expert on the viaSim team). 5. Conduct additional discussions with a NTMA focus group to best understand how to incorporate the prototype application into the strategic planning process of organizations providing water services to rural communities. APPROACH: In Phase I viaSim will accomplish the technical objectives with seven (7) major tasks listed below. viaSim will perform the proposed work within six (6) months after receipt of order (ARO) for this effort. Throughout the entire Phase I effort, members of the viaSim team have access to members of NTMA for focus group discussions, which will have a strong impact on the success of this effort. The role of Ron Holifield, Executive Director of NTMA, on this project is to coordinate these focus group meetings, as well as participate as a focus group member because he has extensive experience with city planning and administration. The prototype application developed in Phase I will be immediately available for organizations to use, which will increase the speed of commercialization. Major tasks: 1. Review causal loop diagram. The objective is to define the scope of variables, parameters, elements, interconnections, and relationships required to represent a high-level, long-term strategic planning tool for organizations that manage water delivery systems (both government and private). 2. Solicit requirements. The CLD from Task 1 will be the starting point for a list of requirements (e.g., input variables, output variables, required calculations, interface requirements) that are needed for a strategic planning simulation tool for water resource management. 3. Finalize model scope. Based on the requirements documented in Task 2, viaSim will define the scope of the prototype simulation tool to be developed on this Phase I effort, which may include additional details beyond the list of requirements. This will involve selecting, describing, and documenting the necessary variables, parameters, policies, processes, management activities, and relationships that realistically represent the issues under study. 4. Develop SimBLOX. This will involve translating requirements into mathematical expressions and relationships in the system dynamics modeling language. 5. Apply test scenarios. 6. Collect feedback. 7. Write final report
