Tutorial: Fuzzy Set Theory in Water Resources Systems

Principles of using fuzzy set theory (FST) to describe imprecision (or vagueness) in water resources systems are provided. The main tool of FST, the membership function, measures the degree of pertinence to a given set such as a water supply failure event. A brief survey of fuzzy set applications is provided. Three main challenges of fuzzy set applicability are discussed: 1, to recognize the type of imprecision and assess the membership function accordingly, 2, to select the appropriate fuzzy set algebra and 3, to identify potential application areas in water resources systems.