What is the Pathways Generator?
The Pathways Generator helps you explore policy pathways in an interactive way, for example, together with stakeholders. The results are shown in a pathways map. Pathways are sequences (or portfolios) of actions over time to achieve a set of pre-defined objectives under uncertain and changing future conditions. Pathways are part of a policy and planning framework (e.g. Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP)[1]), which incorporates the evaluation of costs and benefits with monitoring to track both policy implementation and any changing conditions. The DAPP approach is built upon the notion that decisions are made over time in dynamic interaction with the system of concern and cannot be considered independently. In the same way that all roads lead to Rome, there are also countless paths to reach the future.
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Figure 1: River sedimentation & navigation Figure 2: IJsselmeer under climate change induced sea level rise
How to use the Pathways Generator
The Pathways Generator is a simple application to use.
1. Download the executable onto your computer and start the programme by double clicking on it.
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After selecting your approach, the next step is to set the characteristics of the current system and actions. Either, add the conditions under which a tipping point is reached (method 1) or when the tipping is reached (method 2). This can be done for several actions [click on Actions]. For method 2, the timing can be added for different scenarios [click on Scenarios].
4. Generate Pathways
The next step is You can then begin to generate your pathways [click on pathways]. Select the first actions, and any subsequent actions. Identify whether the pathway is a combination of actions (both stay implemented and will be maintained) or whether it is a sequence of actions (one action commences after an earlier action concludes). Combination actions are drawn with a dashed line of the two combining action colours.
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The next step is to add scenario scales to your pathways [click on Scenarios]. Scenarios create a link between conditions and timing (condition based pathways), or allow you create additional columns for timing of the tipping points (time based pathways).
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The final step is to modify the appearance of the pathways map. The button 'X-axis setting allows ' button allows you to define a caption and range for the x-axis of the map, while the button 'Graph Settings allows ' button allows you to define the map size, legend size, among other settings.
The following two links provide short instructional videos on how to create pathways maps using the navigation example illustrated above.
Condition-based pathways map
Time-based pathways map
Conditions for use
The Pathways Generator is free for all to use. Do not distribute the software without this accompanying flyer. There are no extra or hidden costs to obtain or use the software, provided that proper reference is given to its use, developers and the DAPP methodology. In order to sustain the development of the software, we do ask that you involve us in your projects. This will provide the necessary resources to further develop the Pathways Generator’s capabilities.
Share your experience
Please share your experiences of using the Pathways Generator with us! Share your pathways maps, along with any publication material if available. If possible, we would like to post them on this website to share with the ‘pathways community’ . Also, your feedback on the tool is valuable so we can improve and elaborate it.
Join in the development
The Pathways Generator is a living project. The version that you are working with now is the co-production of many partners. If you identify a potential capability that you would like to incorporate into the Pathways Generator, please contact us and involve us in your project. We are always seeking to further develop the software, and would welcome your collaboration. Proper recognition for any resources received would of course be given within the application and its associated documentation.
About
The Pathways Generator is developed by and copyright of Marjolijn Haasnoot and Willem van Deursen, Deltares, Delft and Carthago Consultancy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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