1. A novel approach towards improving
decision-making for resource efficiency,
based on the
water-land-food-energy-climate Nexus
WEAM4i Final Workshop
Xavier Domingo
AAI Research Line Manager
Smart Management Systems Dpt.
xavier.domingo@eurecat.org
06/04/2017

2. 2
OUR FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN…
Water
Land Energy
Food Climate
?
All these elements are linked together, and constitute the
Nexus.
Global competition between land, water and energy
resources is increasing, and is exacerbated by climate
change.
Putting pressure on one of these areas can create pressures
on the others.
Management of the Nexus is critical to securing the efficient
use of our scarce resources, under climate change.

3. 3
SIM4NEXUS project
• Title: Sustainable Integrated Management FOR the NEXUS of
water-land-food-energy-climate for a resource-efficient Europe
• Topic: H2020 WATER-2b-2015 (Integrated approaches to food
security, low-carbon energy, sustainable water management
and climate change mitigation)
• Grant: 7,9M€
• Duration: 4 year project (June 2016 – May 2020)
• Consortium: 25 partners from 15 European countries
• Co-ordination: Wageningen University & Research

4. 4
SIM4NEXUS objectives
SIM4NEXUS has four objectives:
• To adopt existing knowledge and develop new expertise on
the Nexus,
• To reduce uncertainties of how policies, governance and
institutions affect complex changing environmental
systems,
• To showcase the implementation by a network of regional
and national case studies in Europe
• To valorise the project outputs by suitable business models.

5. 5
Previous related research: Thematic models
Several well-established and developed
“thematic” models” do exist:
• Simulating some (but not all five) Nexus
components
• At some scales (e.g. Global)
• Not necessarily targeting resource efficiency
• Some targeting GHG
• Or biodiversity
• Or the economy
• But not all…

6. 6
SIM4NEXUS - main idea
• Using the “thematic models” to identify the links
and the gaps in the Nexus
• With diverse Data Sources and Climate change
scenarios
• Running the thematic models
• Combining outputs from the thematic models using
Complexity Science methodologies:
• System Dynamics mainly (previous expertise)
• Cellular Automata
• Fuzzy Pattern Recognition
• Material Flow Analysis
• To develop “Nexus” models for specific Case Studies
and scenarios
• To develop a Serious Game for education and
decision makers

7. 7
Conceptual structure

8. 8
Try out scenarios
With local stakeholders: 3 at regional level, 5 at national level, 2 transboundary
At higher level (educational): 1 at European level, 1 at Global level
The virtual world is
designed according to
realistic metadata
Each player manages own
objectives and indicators, and
can only take specific actions
according to the role assigned
GeoPlatform,
gathering all
metadata
Settings
Case
studies
The game involves
players, acting according
to chosen roles
The Serious Game concept

9. 9
…
Evaluation by
players
Actions by
players
Uncertainty, like financial
crisis, flood, temperature
changes, etc.
Thematic models + SDM,
calculating interlinkages
between each Nexus
component
LEARNING BY PLAYING
All Nexus components
interacting together.
Water, land, energy, food, climate
Description of a scenario

10. 10
Some progress: Conceptual and SDM Model samples

11. • Exchange of information
• Experience in common issues
• Maximize dissemination & Exploitation
• Special sessions in Conferences/Publications
contact with relevant stakeholders
• Common development of guidelines, strategies,
procedures and standards
• Joint papers and scientific publications
• Links with/participation in Water
(EIP/WssTP/IWA…) and ICT (AIOTI/BDVA…) relevant
action groups
• New opportunities
BlueSCitie
s
DAIAD
FREEWAT
ISS-
EWATUS
KINDRA
PROTEUS
Safe
Water SmartH2O
WaterInn
EU
Waterno
mics
UrbanWat
er
WISDOM
EFFINET
ICeWater
iWIDGET
WIDEST
WATERP
POWER
SIM4NEXUS
SAFE
WATER
WADI
SMART -
PLANT
Co-Leaded by EURECAT
Contact:
Gabriel Anzaldi
gabriel.anzaldi@eurecat.org
@gabriel_anzaldi
es.linkedin.com/in/gabrielanzaldi/

12. For further information please consult
www.sim4nexus.eu,
follow us at @SIM4NEXUS
Thanks for your attention!