ICEM – the International Centre for Environment Management

ICEM is an independent technical service centre that helps governments, private sector
and communities define and implement policies for ecologically sustainable development.
ICEM aims to help shape development in ways that reduce poverty and sustain efficient and
equitable management of natural resources. ICEM has arranged its technical expertise and
services into six interlinked fields:

climate change • energy • water • biodiversity • integrated assessments

• disaster risk reduction • decision support system
Within and across each field, ICEM has a team of specialists with extensive field experience.
ICEM has developed a range of specific tools and methodologies that have given us a reputation
as leaders in our fields of focus. Full descriptions of our projects and further information about
ICEM is available at www.icem.com.au.

Decision Support Tools for Open source solutions

Sustainable Development
To support planning and early warning
across the full range of ICEM competencies
including climate change, energy, water,
biodiversity, integrated assessments and
disaster risk reduction, ICEM specialists are
engaged in developing innovative Decision
Support Systems (DSS). These platforms
focus on consolidating and visualizing
diverse datasets, of which geospatial data
are key inputs, to provide structured data
and information to address particular
concerns of sustainable development, for
instance in supporting long-term planning
and investment decisions in the context
of climate change, or to providing flood
forecast warnings to government and local
communities. Each DSS is customized to
address the specific challenges of the project
and carefully tailored to the specifications of
the client. From the outset, ICEM works with
the client to identify the types of questions
that the DSS needs to address and create
detailed use case examples.
ICEM leverages open source software to
develop its decision support systems and the
technology used supports the integration of
geospatial data. The DSS software framework
typically includes has two main components
– the backend which comprises a web-based
GeoServer application and a frontend based
on the R Shiny web application framework.
Data integrated into GeoServer are published
and shared using standard OGC-compliant
data services, including Web Map Services
(WMS), Web Map Tile Services (WMTS), and
Web Feature Services (WFS). The R Shiny
frontend enables visualization of the data and
information which can be presented within a
map viewer, tables and charts. A key benefit
of open source software is that ICEM’s DSS
are more amendable to future development
compared to proprietary solutions and
therefore offer improved potential for
long-term usage. An agile approach to
development is taken to ensure multiple
opportunities for feedback from stakeholders
and user-testing.
Cambodia Mekong Delta Digital Atlas

To support improved planning of the Mekong delta, ICEM worked with the national
government in Cambodia to create an open source web-based geospatial application
called the Cambodia Mekong Delta Digital Atlas. This integrated decision support tool
enables the government and stakeholders to access a comprehensive knowledge
base, and the users to explore potential consequences of future climate change on
infrastructure assets, agriculture and natural ecosystems. ICEM also provides training
and consultation to build capacity in data and system management of the Atlas
application and develop a user system administration guide for the Atlas.

Building Climate Change Resilience in Asia’s Critical Infrastructure

A detailed understanding of how climate change affects critical infrastructure is key

to identifying priorities for scaling-up climate-resilient investments in Asia. Towards
this goal, ICEM supported this regional project with the creation of a web-based
Geospatial Information System platform, allowing users to interact with critical
infrastructure and climate change data focusing on transport, energy and water
sectors. Climate change projections can be viewed as “hot spot” data to highlight
those areas projected to experience the highest relative changes. The project
resulted in a GIS Map Viewer, a Data Inventory, and a Metadata Catalogue. Together
these outputs support decision-makers to effectively asses risk and vulnerability,
and identify and assess policy, technical, financial and ecological solutions.

Implementing Innovative Approaches for Water Governance, Mongolia

Increased industrial activity, urban expansion and climate change pressures have
created a serious pressure on water sources in Mongolia. This project has been
working to improve the national structure of water governance in the country,
including via development of river basin plans and updating of water policy, laws and
regulations. Working with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism the DSS aims
to facilitate improved access to data and information to national government, river
basin organisations and stakeholders for supporting the sustainable management
of water resources. The Mongolia Water Governance Spatial Decision Support Tool
(SDST) facilitates consolidation of key Mongolian water resources data and of their
sharing through generation of spatial data services, and the visualization of these
data services through a web-based platform.

Impact Based Forecasting Pilots and Flood Hazard Mapping

in the Chindwin and Central Ayeyarwady Basin, Myanmar

Flood forecasting for river systems provides crucial forewarning to communities

about impending flood events. This project builds on the Myanmar Department of
Meteorology and Hydrology’s existing production of national flood forecasts with
the piloting of impact-based forecasting (IBF) to strengthen flood warnings for the
local level. The DSS developed in the project will enable DMH management and staff
along with key stakeholders to access and view flood forecast information and better
understand the impact of floods on the six towns of the study. The DSS will also act
as a repository for outputs from the vulnerability and flood risk mapping exercises,
making these and other relevant baseline datasets available to be viewed within the
DSS interface.
 Strengthening Early Warning, Resilient Agriculture and Rural Development

Myanmar is one of the countries most at risk of damage and loss from a wide range
of weather-related hazards and climate change. During the last decade, although the
government has strengthened its policy landscape for disaster risk management and
climate change adaption, significant capacity gaps remain. To support in filling the
gaps, the project develops a GIS-platform based decision-support tool that assists
the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation staff to systematically use climate
and disaster risk information in strengthening agricultural development resilience,
including plan, identify and prioritize investments. The DSS can be used for customized
township hazard profiling, proposed project area risk screening and crop suitability
mapping.

DELTA (Developing Long Term Adaptation) Tools for the Mekong Delta

The Mekong Basin with its complex monsoon climate is highly exposed to climate
change including rises in temperature, drier dry seasons, and wetter wet seasons.
As part of the DELTA Tools for the Mekong Delta project, ICEM produced a Decision
Support Framework (DSF) toolkit that is an open source web-based tool relying on GIS
and spatial data. Users are able to view and interpret climate change threats which
are sea level rise and flood, saline intrusion and relate them to infrastructure. DELTA
Tools combines Mekong Basin future simulations of hydrological regimes based on
the drivers of changes to foresee the threats and allow planners to assess investments
and make strategic decisions for future development.

Geohazard Risk Management and Resilient Road Asset Management in Nepal

In many developing countries, the construction of road infrastructure is the biggest

trigger of landslides. Nepal faces further challenges in managing landslide risks due
to challenging terrain, the young geology of the Himalayan mountains, and annual
monsoon rainfall. The project includes a Decision Support System (DSS) to support
The World Bank and the Nepal Department of Roads to consider climate change and
earthquake risks and prioritize investments in road infrastructure strategies. The DSS
integrates hydrological, seismic, climate and socio-economic data and information to
identify sites that are most vulnerable to climate and seismic threats. Mitigation plans
then will be prepared in order to apply the approach to other road sector projects.

Mainstreaming Climate Resilience into Development Planning, Cambodia

Agriculture in Cambodia accounts for 33% of GDP and more than 50% of the labor
force. The country’s average temperatures are expected to increase from 1.5 to 5.3°C
by the end of the 21st century, which would result in climate changes during the
growing season and more variable shifting rainfall patterns, potentially leading to
devastating impacts on agriculture and food security. The Cambodia Climate Change
Toolbox was a major output of this project, built on R Shiny which allows easily
customized and updating climate data to be displayed for the address of the climate
challenges. Climate parameters are incorporated in project design and management
to achieve sustained institutional and technical capacity to integrate adaptation
concerns into development planning in Cambodia.
Tools and methods
employed by ICEM
experts in DSS design
and operation

Open source software

Agile development

Geospatial data
analysis

Geospatial data
visualisation

Spatial DSS

Knowledge-driven DSS

GeoServer

R and Shiny web

application framework

RStudio Server

Shiny Server

Docker
containerization

QGIS desktop

Virtual consultations
and workshops

ICEM
6A, Lane 49, To Ngoc Van
Tay Ho, HA NOI,
Viet Nam

www.icem.com.au
info@icem.com.au

© ICEM 2020