Indicators and endpoints for risk-based decision processes with decision support systems

Abstract

The decision process for contaminated sites is composed of two important phases, assessment and management. In the first phase, relevant information is collected and processed by experts on all the involved aspects of the decision problem; in the second phase, the same information is evaluated, weighted and communicated by decision-makers and stakeholders. The complexity of both phases may be reduced by adopting suitable indicators and endpoints, and including them in Decision Support Systems (DSSs). In the assessment phase, indicators can support the definition and description of the information to be analysed. The input information may range from environmental to socio-economic, and may have different levels of integration and detail. Indicators can be used to reduce abundant and diverse information into a manageable and organized scheme. In the management phase, indicators can be used by decision-makers and stakeholders to characterize predicted scenarios and to evaluate management alternatives (e.g. for the selection of remediation technologies). Moreover, indicators can be valid instruments for communication with the public. They serve to compact and interpret assessment results and provide them in easily understood forms. In all these functions, the utility of indicators is enhanced by inclusion in DSSs. This chapter is an overview of the theory and practise of indicators and endpoints for the assessment and management of contaminated sites. It illustrates the state-of-the-art of indicators development and proposes definitions and methodological approaches. It then presents the indicators used in the assessment phase, as analytical instruments that define relevant aspects, such as environmental assessment endpoints, environmental quality (for both water and soil) and human health. Finally, indicators for the management phase, where the elaboration and evaluation of management alternatives is the central objective, are discussed. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.