Browsing by Author "Jude, Simon"
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Item Open Access Adapting to climate change by water management organisations: enablers and barriers(Elsevier, 2018-02-26) Azhoni, Adani; Jude, Simon; Holman, Ian P.Climate change will be particularly experienced though the medium of water. Water organisations, that are managing societal and ecological needs for water, are therefore likely to experience the impact the most. This study reviews the current literature regarding adaptation to climate change by water management organisations and associated barriers. Literature on adaptive capacity is growing and a general consensus is emerging on the determinants of adaptive capacity, although variations exist regarding how it is to be evaluated, enhanced and applied to policy making due to its dynamic, contextual and latent nature. Since adaptive capacity is hard to measure and successful adaptation difficult to define, some studies focus on the existence of adaptation attributes of organisations. Studies reporting successful adaptation are minimal and barriers of adaptation are being discovered as adaptation research transitions into implementation. But the root causes of these barriers are often overlooked and the interconnectedness of the barriers is poorly addressed. Increasingly, combining top-down and bottom-up approaches to adaptation is being recommended due to the limitations of each. However, knowledge regarding how organisations operating at different scales can enhance adaptive capacity of other organisations operating at another scale is lacking due to the few studies of inter-organisational networks across scales. Social networks among actors are recognised as a key factor to enable adaptation. However, network studies generally focus on individual actors and rarely between public agencies/organisations. Moreover, the current literature is inadequate to understand the relationship between adaptation enabling characteristics, barriers and adaptation manifestation. The review demonstrates that research on understanding the emergence and sustenance of barriers is urgently required. Addressing these knowledge gaps will help to improve the design of adaptation strategies, thereby improving the ability of water management to address the ongoing challenges of climate change.Item Open Access Adapting water management in India to climate change: institutions, networks and barriers.(2017-05) Azhoni, Adani; Holman, Ian P.; Jude, SimonClimate change is experienced most through the medium of water. The ability of water institutions and the factors that enable or hinder them to purposefully adapt to the new and additional challenges brought by climate change require better understanding. Factors that influence their perception of climate change impacts and initiatives being taken for adaptation are shaped by various enabling factors and barriers through the interaction with both governmental and non-governmental institutions across administrative scales. Better understanding of these adaptation enablers and barriers is essential for devising adaptation strategies. This research aims to identify and expound the characteristics that enable or hinder institutions to adapt for water management, and hence, it evaluates the involvement of key governmental and non-governmental institutions in India and the inter-institutional networks between them. It surveyed webpages and online documents of sixty Union Government institutions and interviewed representatives from twenty-six governmental, non-governmental, research and academic institutions operating at the national level and another twenty-six institutions operating within the State of Himachal Pradesh in India to assess the characteristics that enable or hinder adaptation. While the online projection of institutional involvement and interaction among key Union Government institutions on climate change and water indicate a more centralized network pointing to Planning Commission and Ministry of Environment and Forest, the interview responses indicated a more distributed network with both Ministries of Water Resources and Environment and Forest recognized as key institutions thereby indicating a potential variation in perception of who is in-charge. Moreover, online documents show institutions that are involved in water have less mention of climate change compared to Union Government ministries involved in less climate-sensitive sectors indicating that impacts of climate change on water are potentially ignored. While it is evident that research and consulting institutions engaging with both national and state level institutions play a key role in enabling adaptation, various barriers pertaining to data and information accessibility, inadequacy of resources and implementation gaps exist particularly due to inter-institutional network fragmentations. Although barriers identified in this study bear resemblance to barriers identified by other researchers in other contexts, this research shows similar barriers can emerge from different underlying causes and are highly interconnected; thereby indicating the need for addressing adaptation barriers collectively as a wider governance issue. Since many of the adaptation barriers emerge from wider governance challenges and are related to larger developmental issues, the findings have important policy implications. Among the various issues that the government needs to address is improving the inter-institutional networks between water institutions so that information dissemination, sharing of learning experiences and data accessibility is improved and prescriptive legislations are seen to be inadequate in this regard. Restructuring the way officials in government water institutions are recruited and deployed is suggested as a potential solution for improving the inter-institutional networks. The research elucidates that inter-institutional networks and transboundary institutions are two pillars that supports adaptation and also bridges the gap between adaptive capacity and adaptation manifestation that enable water institutions to cross the chasm of adaptation barriers. Thus the thesis presents an important analysis of key characteristics that enable or hinder water management institutions to adapt to climate change which have been so far under acknowledged by other studies through the analysis of the state of climate change adaptation in India. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights for developing countries, particularly, facing similar challenges of adapting water management for climate change.Item Open Access Adapting water management to climate change: Institutional involvement, inter-institutional networks and barriers in India(Elsevier, 2017-04-26) Azhoni, Adani; Holman, Ian P.; Jude, SimonThe capacity of a nation to address the hydrological impacts of climate change depends on the institutions through which water is governed. Inter-institutional networks that enable institutions to adapt and the factors that hinder smooth coordination are poorly understood. Using water governance in India as an example of a complex top-down bureaucratic system that requires effective networks between all key institutions, this research unravels the barriers to adaptation by combining quantitative internet data mining and qualitative analysis of interviews with representatives from twenty-six key institutions operating at the national level. Institutions' online presence shows a disconnect in the institutional discourse between climate change and water with institutions such as the Ministries of Water Resources, Earth Sciences and Agriculture, indicating a lesser involvement compared to institutions such as the Ministries of Finance, External Affairs, Planning Commission. The online documents also indicate a more centralised inter-institutional network, emanating from or pointing to a few key institutions including the Planning Commission and Ministry of Environment and Forests. However, the interviews suggest more complex relational dynamics between institutions and also demonstrate a gap between the aspirational ideals of the National Water Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change and the realities of climate change adaptation. This arises from institutional barriers, including lengthy bureaucratic processes and systemic failures, that hinder effective inter-institutional networks to facilitate adaptation. The study provides new understanding of the involvement and barriers of complex multi-layered institutions in climate change adaptation.Item Open Access Appraising longitudinal trends in the strategic risks cited by risk managers in the international water utility sector, 2005-2015(Elsevier, 2017-11-02) Chalker, Rosemary T. C.; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Leinster, Paul; Jude, SimonWe report dynamic changes in the priorities for strategic risks faced by international water utilities over a 10 year period, as cited by managers responsible for managing them. A content analysis of interviews with three cohorts of risk managers in the water sector was undertaken. Interviews probed the focus risk managers' were giving to strategic risks within utilities, as well as specific questions on risk analysis tools (2005); risk management cultures (2011) and the integration of risk management with corporate decision-making (2015). The coding frequency of strategic (business, enterprise, corporate) risk terms from 18 structured interviews (2005) and 28 semi-structured interviews (12 in 2011; 16 in 2015) was used to appraise changes in the perceived importance of strategic risks within the sector. The aggregated coding frequency across the study period, and changes in the frequency of strategic risks cited at three interview periods identified infrastructure assets as the most significant risk over the period and suggests an emergence of extrinsic risk over time. Extended interviews with three utility risk managers (2016) from the UK, Canada and the US were then used to contextualise the findings. This research supports the ongoing focus on infrastructure resilience and the increasing prevalence of extrinsic risk within the water sector, as reported by the insurance sector and by water research organisations. The extended interviews provided insight into how strategic risks are now driving the implementation agenda within utilities, and into how utilities can secure tangible business value from proactive risk governance. Strategic external risks affecting the sector are on the rise, involve more players and are less controllable from within a utility's own organisational boundaries. Proportionate risk management processes and structures provide oversight and assurance, whilst allowing a focus on the tangible business value that comes from managing strategic risks well.Item Open Access Attribute table, evaluation data & analysis of evaluation data for published paper "Obligations and aspirations: a critical evaluation of offshore wind farm cumulative impact assessments"(Cranfield University, 2017-10-24 13:08) Willsteed, Edward; Jude, Simon; B Gill, Andrew; Birchenough, SilvanaFiles uploaded enable: 1) application of the critical evaluation framework developed to other fields; 2) re-examination of the data generated by the evaluation. The full methodology is reported in the published paper. Information identifying individual Environmental Statements has been removed from publicly available data.Item Open Access Big Data Approaches for coastal flood risk assessment and emergency response(Wiley, 2018-07-17) Pollard, James A.; Spencer, Tom; Jude, SimonBig Data Approaches (BDAs) refers to the combined use of historic datasets, incoming data streams, and the array of related technologies designed to shed new light on societal and environmental complexities through novel organizational, storage, and analytical capabilities. Despite widespread recognition of the commercial benefits of BDAs, application in the environmental domain is less well articulated. This represents a missed opportunity given that the dimensions used to characterize BDAs (volume, variety, velocity, and veracity) appear apt in describing the intractable challenges posed by global climate change. This paper employs coastal flood risk management as an illustrative case study to explore the potential applications in the environmental domain. Trends in global change including accelerating sea level rise, concentration of people and assets in low‐lying areas and deterioration of protective coastal ecosystems are expected to manifest locally as increased future flood risk. Two branches of coastal flood risk management are considered. First, coastal flood risk assessment, focusing on better characterization of hazard sources, facilitative pathways, and vulnerable receptors. Second, flood emergency response procedures, focusing on forecasting of flooding events, dissemination of warnings, and response monitoring. Critical commentary regarding technical, contextual, institutional, and behavioral barriers to the implementation of BDAs is offered throughout including a discussion of two fundamental difficulties associated with applying BDAs to coastal flood risk management: the role of BDAs in the broader flood system and the skill requirements for a generation of data scientists capable of implementing Big Data Approaches.Item Open Access The challenges of implementing evidence-based strategies to inform building and urban design decisions: a view from current practice(Emerald, 2022-08-15) Stanitsa, Avgousta; Hallett, Stephen H.; Jude, SimonPurpose This study aims to raise awareness of the key challenges, opportunities and priorities for evidence-based strategies’ application to inform building and urban design decisions. Design/methodology/approach This study uses deductive qualitative content and manifest analysis, using semi-structured interviews undertaken with building and urban design professionals who represent a UK-based organisation. Findings The challenges associated with the practical implementation of frameworks, potential application areas and perceived areas of concern have been identified. These not only include the need to practically test their use, but also to identify the most appropriate forums for their use. Participant responses indicate the need to further develop engagement strategies for their practical implementation, clearly communicating the benefits and efficiencies to all stakeholders. Research limitations/implications Implications/ limitations of this study come with the fact that some of the respondents may possess inadequate professional experience in properly evaluating all the questions. Additionally, the information gathered is restricted to the UK geographical context, as well as coming from one organisation, because of data accessibility. Practical implications The findings of the study can be adopted by designers in the strategic definition level to overcome the key challenges associated with the use of evidence-based strategies, enhancing their decision-making processes. Originality/value As a theoretical contribution to knowledge, this study enhances the body of knowledge by identifying the challenges associated with the practical implementation of evidence-based strategies to inform building and urban design decisions. In practice, the findings aid urban planners, designers and academics in embedding and adopting strategies that enhance decision-making processes.Item Open Access The challenges of predicting pipe failures in clean water networks: a view from current practice(IWA, 2021-08-09) Barton, Neal A.; Hallett, Stephen H.; Jude, SimonPipe failure models can aid proactive management decisions and help target pipes in need of preventative repair or replacement. Yet, there are several uncertainties and challenges that arise when developing models, resulting in discord between failure predictions and those observed in the field. This paper aims to raise awareness of the main challenges, uncertainties, and potential advances discussed in key themes, supported by a series of semi-structured interviews undertaken with water professionals. The main discussion topics include data management, data limitations, pre-processing difficulties, model scalability and future opportunities and challenges. Improving data quality and quantity is key in improving pipe failure models. Technological advances in the collection of continuous real-time data from ubiquitous smart networks offer opportunities to improve data collection, whilst machine learning and data analytics methods offer a chance to improve future predictions. In some instances, technological approaches may provide better solutions to tackling short term proactive management. Yet, there remains an opportunity for pipe failure models to provide valuable insights for long-term rehabilitation and replacement planning.Item Open Access Climate change adaptation attributes across scales and inter-institutional networks: insights from national and state level water management institutions in India(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-08) Azhoni, Adani; Holman, Ian; Jude, SimonEffective climate change adaptation requires cohesive inter-institutional networks across different scales, facilitating the sharing of data, information, knowledge, and practices. However, the impact of adaptation attributes across scales is poorly understood due to limited focus on these networks. Based on interviews with 26 institutions operating at the national level (ION) in India and 26 institutions operating within a state (Himachal Pradesh) (IOS), this study analysed adaptation attributes and the inter-institutional networks across the two scales to understand its implications at different scales. IONs have a greater capacity (compared to IOS) to frame guidelines, standards and regulations for practitioners along with better accessibility to resources and information. When coupled with bridging institutions, this can enhance adaptive capacities at other scales. Conversely, learnings from low regret adaptive measures being implemented by IOS are opportunities for informing national policy strategies. While national adaptation strategies and goals can inspire adaptation at lower scales, the currently fragmented inter-institutional network in India reduces the passage and accessibility of data and information, creating a bottleneck for the smooth devolution of adaptation attributes. Recruitment and deployment practices for water officials further entrench silo attitudes, impeding essential data accessibility. Adaptation needs comprehensive networks across vertical, horizontal, and diagonal institutional connections to improve climate risk perception and strategy implementation. Policy measures should consider socio-institutional factors beyond legislative prescriptions.Item Open Access Comparison of automatic and guided learning for Bayesian networks to analyse pipe failures in the water distribution system(Elsevier, 2019-02-06) Tang, Kayu; Parsons, David J.; Jude, SimonThe reliability of the water distribution system is critical to maintaining a secure supply for the population, industry and agriculture, so there is a need for proactive maintenance to help reduce water loss and down times. Bayesian networks are one approach to modelling the complexity of water mains, to assist water utility companies in planning maintenance. This paper compares and analyses how accurately the Bayesian network structure can be derived given a large and highly variable dataset. Method one involved using automated learning algorithms to build the Bayesian network, while method two involved a guided method using a combination of historic failure data, prior knowledge and pre-modelling data exploration of the water mains. By understanding common failure types (circumferential, longitudinal, pinhole and joint), the guided learning Bayesian Network was able to capture the interactions of the surrounding soil environment with the physical properties of pipes. The Bayesian network built using data exploration and literature was able to achieve an overall accuracy of 81.2% when predicting the specific type of water mains failure compared to the 84.4% for the automated method. The slightly greater accuracy from the automated method was traded for a sparser Bayes net where the interpretation of the interactions between the variables was clearer and more meaningful.Item Open Access A conceptual framework for negotiating public involvement in municipal waste management decision-making in the UK(Elsevier, 2017-04-13) Garnett, Kenisha; Cooper, Tim; Longhurst, Philip J.; Jude, Simon; Tyrrel, SeanThe technical expertise that politicians relied on in the past to produce cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions no longer provides sufficient justification to approve waste facilities. Local authorities need to find more effective ways to involve stakeholders and communities in decision-making since public acceptance of municipal waste facilities is integral to delivering effective waste strategies. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored attitudes towards greater levels of public involvement in UK waste management decision-making. The study addressed questions of perception, interests, the decision context, the means of engagement and the necessary resources and capacity for adopting a participatory decision process. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the research produced an empirical framework for negotiating the mode and level of public involvement in waste management decision-making. The framework captures and builds on theories of public involvement and the experiences of practitioners, and offers guidance for integrating analysis and deliberation with public groups in different waste management decision contexts. Principles in the framework operate on the premise that the decision about ‘more’ and ‘better’ forms of public involvement can be negotiated, based on the nature of the waste problem and wider social context of decision-making. The collection of opinions from the wide range of stakeholders involved in the study has produced new insights for the design of public engagement processes that are context-dependent and ‘fit-for-purpose’; these suggest a need for greater inclusivity in the case of contentious technologies and high levels of uncertainty regarding decision outcomes.Item Open Access Critical evaluation of ecosystem changes from an offshore wind farm: producing natural capital asset and risk registers(Elsevier, 2022-08-17) Causon, Paul D.; Jude, Simon; Gill, Andrew B.; Leinster, PaulOffshore wind infrastructure modifies benthic habitats, affecting ecosystem services. A natural capital approach allows risks to nature-based assets and ecosystem benefits to be assessed. The UK Natural Capital Committee produced guidance for conducting natural capital assessments to aid decision making processes. Development of an asset register and risk register are key components of this methodology. The former provides an inventory of NC stocks, and the latter considers the likelihood of changes and the scale of their impact on delivery of ecosystem services. In this study, suitability of the methodology in a marine environment context was critically evaluated. Natural capital stocks before and after installation of Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm were compared and risks to delivery of ecosystem services were assessed. It was demonstrated that incorporating an assessment of impacts on natural capital assets in planning and management decisions (as an extension to traditional environmental impact assessment approaches) could further facilitate sustainable use of marine ecosystems. For example, by preventing access to bottom-trawl fisheries activities, wind farms may promote recovery and increase value of seabed natural capital assets. By also introducing aquaculture systems loss of food provision (from reduced fishing activity) could be offset whilst allowing benthic natural capital assets to recover. Natural capital assessment is relevant to the marine context. However, application of the Natural Capital Committee’s methodology was constrained by the limited coverage of standard benthic sampling tools. Given the scale of wind energy plans across the marine environment it is recommended that these shortcomings are appropriately addressed.Item Open Access Data supporting: 'Real-life resilience: exploring the organisational environment of international water utilities'(Cranfield University, 2022-08-31 15:46) Giffoni, Eduarda; Jude, Simon; Smith, Heather; Pollard, SimonDataset containing the themes devised from semi-structured interviews with representatives of the water sector.Item Open Access Developing a novel approach to assess the cumulative effects of human activities to support contemporary marine management and planning.(Cranfield University, 2019-06) Willsteed, Charles Edward Allan; Jude, Simon; Gill, Andrew; Birchenough, Silvana N. R.The challenges of assessing and managing the cumulative impacts of human activities on the environment remain major obstacles to sustainable development. This challenge is highlighted by the worldwide expansion of marine renewable energy developments (MREDs) in areas already subject to multiple activities and where climate change is rapidly changing the environment. Cumulative effects assessments (CEAs) in theory provide decision makers with adequate information about how the environment will respond to the incremental effects of licensed activities and are a legal requirement in many nations. In practise, however, such assessments are beset by uncertainties that, in context of MREDs, resulting in substantial delays during the licensing process that limit progress towards meeting carbon emission reduction targets. At a broader level, poor CEA practice risks developments and activities being permitted that contribute to environmental degradation with negative implications for connected human societies. This thesis investigates the origins of CEA to understand why improved practice remains challenging and to identify key CEA considerations that need to be addressed to improve CEA. Shortcomings in current practice were evaluated to refine the key CEA considerations. A conceptual analysis of the underpinnings of CEA was completed that resulted in a tiered conception of CEA being proposed to support regional coherence between CEAs, and the elaboration of principles and a CEA pathway to support consistent CEA practice. The CEA pathway was tested by defining and collating evidence to populate the steps of the pathway, which was then applied to a case-study to investigate the potential for novel approaches to support improved CEA. Insights and directions for future research were discussed to contribute to the evidence base required to improve CEA and to advocate for a change in CEA, from being a sub-discipline of project- and plan- level assessments, to becoming the overarching purpose of such assessments.Item Open Access Enhancing the value of adaptation reporting as a driver for action: lessons from the UK(Taylor and Francis, 2019-08-30) Street, Roger B.; Jude, SimonAs increasing evidence shows that the risks of climate change are mounting, there is a call for further climate action (both reducing global emissions, and adaptation to better manage the risks of climate change). To promote and enable adaptation, governments have introduced, or are considering introducing, reporting on climate risks and efforts being taken to address those risks. This paper reports on an analysis of the first two rounds of such reports submitted under the UK Climate Change Act (2008) Adaptation Reporting Power. It highlights benefits and challenges for reporting authorities and policymakers receiving the reports that could also inform other countries considering such reporting. For reporting authorities, benefits arise from the reporting process and resulting reports. These benefits include elevating climate risks and adaptation to the corporate level and with stakeholders, alongside facilitating alignment and integration of actions within existing risk management and governance structures. For policymakers, reporting provides enhanced understanding of climate risks and actions from a bottom-up perspective that can be integrated into national-level assessments and adaptation planning processes. The identified challenges are those related to capacity and process. These include limited risk and adaptation assessment capacities; relevance of climate change risks and adaptation in the context of other urgent risks and actions; reporting process effectiveness and robustness; and the provision of effective and sufficiently comprehensive support, including feedback.Item Open Access Evidence-based stragegies to inform urban design decision-making: the case of pedestrian movement behaviour.(Cranfield University, 2022-04) Stanitsa, Avgousta; Hallett, Stephen; Jude, SimonWalking is an essential mode of transportation, and pedestrian movement is a major influencing parameter in city design. Due to the complexity of pedestrian behaviour, new insights concerning the significance of factors affecting walking are challenging to obtain without the use of technology. Furthermore, despite the impact of decision-making in the design of buildings and places, there is currently a limited understanding concerning how urban design decisions are best made. This research aims to “assess the adoption of, and opportunities deriving from, data-driven innovation techniques in the design of urban spaces, by the analysis of pedestrian movement patterns in urban environments, and to evaluate how the integration of evidence-based strategies can be established in supporting decision-making in relation to future urban designs”. The research focuses on two groups of stakeholders: Decision-makers in designing buildings and places and End-users undertaking walking activities within urban space. In addressing the aim, a range of research methodologies has been developed and trialled. The work centres on an extended case study concerning a retail high-street locale in London, UK. This study makes several contributions to the immediate field of urban design research. Firstly, the findings advance the research methods applied to study pedestrian movement in urban environments. Secondly, the results offer real impact in practice by demonstrating the value and importance of adopting data-driven innovation techniques in decision-making processes in urban design via the adoption of a quantitative data- driven, evidence-based methodological framework. Thirdly, the findings support decision-making by presenting a novel methodological framework to assess pedestrian routing in urban environments utilising the classification of pedestrian behaviours and spatial visibility interactions. Finally, this study raises awareness of the critical challenges and opportunities, priorities, and potential development areas for applying evidence- based strategies in informing building and urban design decisions. The research presents a series of recommendations for enhancing data-driven innovation techniques in urban design decision-making processes.Item Open Access A framework for assessing robustness of water networks and computational evaluation of resilience.(2016-04) Al-Almeri, Shehab Ahmed; Parsons, David; Jude, SimonArid regions tend to take careful measures to ensure water supplies are secured to consumers, to help provide the basis for further development. Water distribution network is the most expensive part of the water supply infrastructure and it must maintain performance during unexpected incidents. Many aspects of performance have previously been discussed separately, including reliability, vulnerability, flexibility and resilience. This study aimed to develop a framework to bring together these aspects as found in the literature and industry practice, and bridge the gap between them. Semi-structured interviews with water industry experts were used to examine the presence and understanding of robustness factors. Thematic analysis was applied to investigate these and inform a conceptual framework including the component and topological levels. Robustness was described by incorporating network reliability and resiliency. The research focused on resiliency as a network-level concept derived from flexibility and vulnerability. To utilise this new framework, the study explored graph theory to formulate metrics for flexibility and vulnerability that combine network topology and hydraulics. The flexibility metric combines hydraulic edge betweenness centrality, representing hydraulic connectivity, and hydraulic edge load, measuring utilised capacity. Vulnerability captures the impact of failures on the ability of the network to supply consumers, and their sensitivity to disruptions, by utilising node characteristics, such as demand, population and alternative supplies. These measures together cover both edge (pipe) centric and node (demand) centric perspectives. The resiliency assessment was applied to several literature benchmark networks prior to using a real case network. The results show the benefits of combining hydraulics with topology in robustness analysis. The assessment helps to identify components or sections of importance for future expansion plans or maintenance purposes. The study provides a novel viewpoint overarching the gap between literature and practice, incorporating different critical factors for robust performance.Item Open Access Fusing strategic risk and futures methods to inform long-term strategic planning: case of water utilities(Springer, 2021-05-25) Luís, Ana; Garnett, Kenisha; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Jude, Simon; Leinster, PaulRisks and futures methods have complementary strengths as tools for managing strategic decisions under uncertainty. When combined, these tools increase organisational competency to evaluate and manage long-term risks, improving the flexibility and agility of the organisation to deal with gross uncertainties. Here, we set out a framework to guide the assessment of strategic risks for long-term business planning, based on its application at Portugal’s largest water utility, Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres. Our approach extends strategic risk assessment by incorporating scenario planning—a futures approach used to help the utility move beyond single point forecast of risks to focus on critical dimensions of uncertainty that are fundamental to the resilience of corporate objectives and their vulnerability to external pressures. We demonstrate how we combine two complementary approaches—risk and futures—and use them to assess (i) how a set of baseline strategic risks for a water utility evolves under alternative futures, (ii) the aggregate corporate-level risk exposure, and (iii) the process and responses needed to manage multiple, interdependent strategic risks. The framework offers a corporate approach to evolving strategic risks and improves a utility’s (i) knowledge of uncertainties, (ii) ability to assess the impacts of external developments over long time horizons and the consequences of actions and (iii) degree of flexibility to adapt to possible future challenges. The framework supports risk managers in their long-term strategic planning, through the appraisal and management of multiple, interdependent long-term strategic risks and can be replicated in other organisational contexts to bridge operational and corporate perspectives of enterprise risk.Item Open Access Generalised network architectures for environmental sensing: case studies for a digitally enabled environment(Elsevier, 2022-04-08) Mead, Mohammed Iqbal; Bevilacqua, M.; Loiseaux, C.; Hallett, Stephen H.; Jude, Simon; Emmanouilidis, Christos; Harris, Jim A.; Leinster, Paul; Mutnuri, S.; Tran, Trung Hieu; Williams, LeonA digitally enabled environment is a setting which incorporates sensors coupled with reporting and analytics tools for understanding, observing or managing that environment. Large scale data collection and analysis are a part of the emerging digitally enabled approach for the characterisation and understanding of our environment. It is recognised as offering an effective methodology for addressing a range of complex and interrelated social, economic and environmental concerns. The development and construction of the approach requires advances in analytics control linked with a clear definition of the issues pertaining to the interaction between elements of these systems. This paper presents an analysis of selected issues in the field of analytics control. It also discusses areas of progress, and areas in need of further investigation as sensing networks evolve. Three case studies are described to illustrate these points. The first is a physical analytics test kit developed as a part of the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge” (RTTC) for process control in a range of environments. The second case study is the Cranfield Urban Observatory that builds on elements of the RTTC and is designed to allow users to develop user interfaces to monitor, characterise and compare a variety of environmental and infrastructure systems plus behaviours (e.g., water distribution, power grids). The third is the Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure, a cloud-based high-performance computing cluster, developed to receive, store and present such data to advanced analytical and visualisation tools.Item Open Access How the impacts of burst water mains are influenced by soil sand content(European Geosciences Union (EGU) / Copernicus Publications, 2018-11-09) Farewell, Timothy S.; Jude, Simon; Pritchard, Oliver G.Society relies on infrastructure, but as infrastructure systems are often collocated and interdependent, they are vulnerable to cascading failures. This study investigated cross-infrastructure and societal impacts of burst water mains, with the hypothesis that multi-infrastructure failures triggered by burst water mains are more common in sandy soils. When water mains in sandy soils burst, pressurised water can create subsurface voids and abrasive slurries, contributing to further infrastructure failures. Three spatial data investigations, at nested scales, were used to assess the influence that soil sand content has on the frequency and damage caused by burst water mains (1) to roads in the county of Lincolnshire, (2) to other proximal water mains in East Anglia and (3) to other proximal infrastructure and wider society across England and Wales. These investigations used infrastructure network and failure data, media reports and soil maps, and were supported by workshop discussions and structured interviews with infrastructure industry experts. The workshop, interviews and media reports produced a greater depth of information on the infrastructure and societal impacts of cascading failures than the analysis of infrastructure data. Cross-infrastructure impacts were most common on roads, built structures and gas pipes, and they occurred at a higher rate in soils with very high sand contents.