Method for identifying water resources research needs and setting priorities among them
Water resources research needs are almost limitless, but the means to pursue them are constrained. Ways must be used to choose among potential projects competing for available support. Many systems have been devised to assist in the selection process. None have been found fully satisfactory of dominate the actual practice of research project selection. Water research consumes a great deal of funding. A method for improving the orderliness of the selection process could be of substantial benefit. The objective of this research was to test a series of procedures to identify and prioritize the water research needs of a state. A method was sought that would: (1) be understandable to decision-makers, (2) combine subjective judgement with the discipline of a structured approach, (3) be sufficiently discriminatory to limit the number of selections and (4) achieve consensus among interest groups. There were four stages: (a) following an extensive literature search, four open conferences were held in cities across the state to identify significant problems; (b) a directed survey was conducted by mail-out questionnaires to extend and refine the problem identification process; (c) water problems thus identified were translated into researchable topics by a series of elite interviews with knowledgeable individuals; and (d) the potential researchable topics were prioritized by separate panels using three independent methods.
- Research Organization:
- Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7253711
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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