FORCON - LOCAL DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE PROVISION OF ADVICE INAGRICULTURE - METHODOLOGY AND EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION

Experience gained in the CIS in the aftermath of the Chernobyl acciden t has demonstrated a need for the development of a practical decision support system capable of providing advice on agricultural countermeas ure strategy at the local level. Such a system is being developed with in the agricultural countermeasures module of Joint Study Project 1 un der the umbrella of the EC-CIS Agreement on the Consequences of the Ch ernobyl Accident. This system, which has received the acronym FORCON, takes into account such factors as soil type, cut-rent farming practic e and management. This paper gives an overview of the main features of the FORCON system. Methodology, models and associated databases used in the system are described. The criteria for the evaluation of the ex isting radiological situation in agriculture and estimation of the eff ectiveness of countermeasures are discussed. The comparable analysis o f different strategies for implementing countermeasures in a settlemen t situated on contaminated territory are presented.