Comment on hess-2021-177

Abstract

Climate change is projected to increase flood risks in West Africa. The EU Horizon 2020 project FANFAR co-designed a pre-operational flood forecasting and alert system for West Africa in three lively? workshops with 50–60 stakeholders, BY? adopting a transdisciplinary framework from Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). We aimed to (i) exemplify MCDA as a structured transdisciplinary process; (ii) prioritize suitable FANFAR system configurations; and (iii) document and discuss empirical evidence WHAT IS THIS EVIDENCE DISCUSSED?. We used various interactive problem structuring methods DID YOU REALLY USE MANY PROBLEM STRUCTURING METHODS OR SOME OTHER PROCEDURES in stakeholder sessions to generate 10 objectives and design 11 FANFAR system configurations. The non-additive MCDA model combined expert predictions about system performance with stakeholder preferences elicited in group sessions.A VERY STRANGE WAY OF SAYING THAT THE MCDA MODEL WAS BASED ON EXPERT DATA ON THE EXPECTED PERFORMANCE. All groups preferred a system producing accurate, clear, and accessible flood risk information that reaches recipients well before floods. THIS WOULD BE THEIR IDEAL BUT PREFENCES RELALE TO TRADE-OFFS.To receive HOW IS THAT RECEIVED? this, most groups would trade off SPELLING, higher operation and maintenance costs, development time, and implementing several languages TRADE-OFF TO WHAT . We accounted for uncertainty in expert predictions with Monte Carlo simulation. Sensitivity analyses tested the results’ robustness for changing MCDA aggregation models and diverging stakeholder preferences. Despite many uncertainties, three FANFAR system configurations achieved 63–70 % of the ideal case over all objectives in all stakeholder groups, and outperformed other options in cost-benefit visualizations. VERY STRANGE CLAIM Stakeholders designed these best options to work reliably? under difficult West African conditions rather than incorporating many advanced features WHAT DOES THIS REFER TO?. The current OR THE PROPOSED?FANFAR system combines important features increasing system performance. Most respondents WHO? of a small online survey are satisfied, and willing to use the system in future THIS KIND OF SURVEY DOES NOT REALLY PROVE THAT THE SYSTEM WOULD BE USED IN REALITYTHE PAPER DID NOT CONSIDER ANY USABILITY QUESTIONS WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL WHEN DEVELOPING NEW SOFTWARE. We discuss our learning ? drawing from design principles of transdisciplinary research. We attempted to over-come CHECK SPELLING “unbalanced ownership” and “insufficient legitimacy” WHY THESE CONCERNS AND NOT E.G. LACK OF TRANSPARENCY OF THE MODELby including key West African institutions as consortium partners and carrying out co-design workshops with mandated representatives from 17 countries. MCDA overcomes TOO GENERAL STATEMENT challenges such as “lack of technical integration” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN AND HOW IS IT OVERCOME, or “vagueness and ambiguity of results”. Whether FANFAR will have a “societal impact” depends on long term financing and system uptake by West African institutions after termination of EU sponsoring. We hope ? that our promising results will have a “scientific impact” ON WHAT and motivate further DO YOU MEAN :STUDIES OF ?stakeholder engagement in hydrology research.