综合资源规划（IRP）是当今公用事业界的热门话题。投资者拥有的公用事业公司在过去三到四年里对IRP非常重视，尽管IRP的想法是十多年前构思出来的。综合资源规划是一种长期规划工具，它不仅考虑了供应方的选择，还考虑了需求方的考虑。在过去几年里，建筑和原水的成本飙升。如此之多，以至于水行业正在寻找替代方法来加强长期规划战略。 许多公共事业机构都采取了节水的第一步。但保护只是综合资源规划的一小部分。全面IRP的数据需求是惊人的，许多公用事业公司仍然不确定什么是IRP，以及开发IRP需要什么。在本文中，我将讨论开发IRP所需的数据类型。一些不同的数据组包括分布、供给、需求、人口和金融。我还将讨论这些数据如何在不同的模型中使用，以及它对IRP发展的意义。 我认为，你将能够看到，大多数（如果不是全部的话）水务公司在拥有开发综合IRP所需的数据和模型之前还有很长的路要走。虽然不可能准确定义水务设施IRP的数据要求，但由于每个设施都有其独特的方式，本文将为您提供一些初步信息，帮助您在IRP过程中取得领先。

Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) is a hot topic these days in utility industry circles. The investor owned utilities have gotten serious about IRP during the past three to four years, even though the idea for IRP was conceived more than ten years ago. Integrated Resource Planning is a long range planning tool that considers not only supply side options, but also takes into account demand side considerations. The cost of construction and raw water has sky-rocketed over the past few years. So much so, that the water industry is looking to alternative methods to enhance long range planning strategies. Many water utilities have taken the first step with voluntary conservation programs. But conservation is only one small part of Integrated Resource Planning. The data requirements for a full blown IRP are phenomenal and many utilities are still unsure of what IRP is and what is necessary to develop one. In this paper, I will discuss what type of data could be required for development of an IRP. Some of the different data groups include distribution, supply, demand, demographic, and financial. I will also discuss how this data is used in different models and its significance for the development of the IRP. I think that you will be able to see that most, if not all, water utilities have a long way to go before they have the data and models necessary to develop a comprehensive IRP. Although it would be impossible to define exactly what the data requirements would be for a Water Utility IRP, since each Utility is unique in its own way, this paper will provide you with some preliminary information that will help you get a head start on your IRP process.