Preliminary evaluation of the benefits of a participatory regional integrated assessment software

The journal Climatic Change has published a software tool, the Regional Impact Simulator (RegIS), which supports local and regional climate impact analysis and adaptation strategy planning. While the software is designed for use in the UK it offers important guidance for how a similar software tool could be designed and used for assessments in Texas. This is a PC-based tool was designed with stakeholders for stakeholders and focuses particularly on coastal and river flooding, agriculture, water resources and biodiversity.

The authors suggest that the two most significant applications of the regional Impacts simulator are likely to be: (1) to inform the integration of adaptation actions and policies across sectors, so as to minimize adaptive actions impacting negatively on those taken in other sectors, and (2) to explore robust adaptation strategies which are relatively scenario independent, or will be beneficial for all future scenarios (no-regrets strategies).

Source: Holman, I. & Harman, J. (2008) Preliminary evaluation of the benefits of participatory regional integrated assessment software. Climatic Change, 90, 169-187.