The role of the entropy concept in design and evaluation of water quality monitoring networks

Existing water quality networks suffer from a lack of compatibility between collected data and water quality management objectives, resulting in "data-rich but information-poor' monitoring practices. Other problems with the networks pertain to selection of variables to be observed, selection of sampling frequencies, selection of sampling sites, duration of monitoring of certain variables at certain sites, and reliability of collected data. A methodology is proposed for designing an efficient and cost-effective water quality monitoring network. The methodology is based on the entropy concept which permits alleviation of shortcomings of existing networks. -from Author