Decision support systems in water resources in the demarcated region of Douro - case study in Pinhao river basin, Portugal

This paper puts forward the importance of decision support systems (DSS) for the planning and management of water resources. A case study of the Pinhao river basin, in Portugal, is presented. Given the importance of vineyards in the Douro region, it is important to determine if water availability will be enough to meet present and future water demands. In order to answer this question, DSS tools were used to assess different scenarios. The MIKE BASIN software was used in the hydrographical basin of Pinhao river, assisted by a geographic information system, GIS, which allowed the modelling of the basin, both temporally and spatially, facilitating the visualisation and interpretation of results. According to the attained results, it was verified that, at present, the hydrographical basin meets the considered water needs. The DSS proved to be an important tool to assist the decision-making process in the studied river basin.