Megasites from different points of view
The WELCOME IMS has been developed using knowledge/information fields and experience from several scientific disciplines.
First of all, the IMS facilitates the construction of environmental site management plans within national and European legal frameworks. An overview of these is given. For the European framework, the Water Framework and Groundwater Directives are the most important.
Secondly, a description of the system approach is given (referring to System Theory), i.e. for the physical system of the megasite and the social system (including stakeholders that are crucial in decision-making on issues such as megasite management).
A description is given for the geohydrological system, and the fundamentals of Risk Assessement and risk-based management are discussed. Finally, a generic approach for developing megasite mangement scenarios is given.
The information and ideas presented here, have a generic and theoretical nature and are used further on in the IMS to develop practical applications for megasite management. This section should therefore be used as a generic mind-setter and as conceptual background information.
