东湾市政公用事业区（EBMUD）是一家总部位于加利福尼亚州奥克兰的公用事业公司，已开始开发基于地理信息系统（GIS）的配水系统水力建模工具。建模工具将通过集成通用分析软件和驻留在各种平台上的数据源来开发，这些数据源通过易于使用的图形界面访问。完成后，水力建模工具将使用户能够创建配水系统设施的分区模型，以模拟其运行特性，从而满足以下基本目标: 高效的分销系统升级；高效及时地规划新的供水服务扩展；可靠的配电系统情报收集；加快法规遵从性；模拟应急和响应选项；在不影响服务可靠性的情况下，高效的水系统运行。作者希望本文能为考虑类似范围和复杂性的项目的组织提供指导。为了给本文的研究结果提供一个合适的背景，作者集中描述了影响建模工具开发过程的组织和管理的因素: 该地区配水系统的规模和复杂性，建模工具必须访问的数据来源的多样性，建模工具的组成用户的多样性，以及项目预期或已经实现的效益。

East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), a public utility headquartered in Oakland, California, has begun development of a Geographic Information System (GIS)--based water distribution system hydraulic modeling tool. The modeling tool will be developed by integrating common analysis software with data sources residing on a variety of platforms, accessed through an easy to use graphical interface. When completed, the hydraulic modeling tool will enable users to create subarea models of the water distribution system's facilities to simulate its operational characteristics and thus satisfy the following basic objectives: efficient distribution system upgrades; efficient and timely planning of new water service extensions; reliable distribution system intelligence gathering; expedited regulatory compliance; simulated emergency and response options; and efficient water system operation without compromising serve reliability. The authors intend that this paper offer guidance to organizations considering a project of similar scope and complexity. To provide an appropriate context to the paper's findings, the authors have concentrated on describing the factors which influence the organization and management of the modeling tool development process: the large scale and complexity of the District's water distribution system, the diverse sources of data which the modeling tool must access, the variety of constituent users of the modeling tool and the benefits of the project anticipated or already realized.