To fulfill its commitments under the 1995 Mekong Agreement, MRC aims to provide Member Countries with the necessary tools to support and promote planning and management of the water and related resources throughout the LMB according to the principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM).
MRC has developed a modelling toolbox (MRC Toolbox), which comprises software and applications to enable comprehensive and rigorous analyses and assessments. The MRC Toolbox forms part of the MRC Information System (MRC-IS) and is designed to be used in conjunction with the MRC-IS Master Catalogue of quality assured basin-wide data.
The users of the MRC Toolbox are all those concerned with planning and management issues at basin-scale, national level and sub-basin or tributary levels. The user community embraces the MRC Secretariat, the National Mekong Committees, relevant planning and line agencies within each Member Country and, where appropriate, academic and research organisations directly supporting relevant Member Country activities. MRC is promoting use of the MRC Toolbox amongst relevant institutions within the region, and aims to develop and nurture a community of users with the twin objectives of building IWRM-based analytical capacity within the LMB and identifying a core of regional expertise to sustain MRC as a centre of excellence.
MRC aims to make available copies of the Toolbox to eligible users (subject to limitations imposed by software licenses), provide manuals and basic start-up training and provide help-line support to users over an initial period. Where appropriate, MRC will develop MoU with particular institutions for the provision of technical services in support of expansion of the Toolbox.
The MRC Toolbox Community site is an online community and forum site which aims to help and support regional Toolbox users in using the various Toolbox components. The community site is actively moderated by the MRC modellers team, who will do their best to answer all user questions quickly.
All registered MRC Data Portal users do have access to the community site and are invited to post their questions, ideas, problems and discussions, so Toolbox can be further improved over time.
Access MRC Toolbox Community site
The MRC Toolbox comprises a set of core features and add-ons, which are provided to end users.
A “Basic MRC Toolbox” comprises the core features described above together with those tools for which the software is either owned by MRC or is open source software. MRCS and Member Country users also have access to Add-on tools based on software previously procured under licence. Other MRC Toolbox users may apply to purchase licenses through MRC, if required. MRC is working closely with national and sub-national agencies to identify requirements for sub-regional tools that may be developed also in partnership with MRC and its Toolbox user community.
The MRC Toolbox has been developed and used by the MRC and Member Countries for more than five years, and during this time has supported the development of numerous basin-wide development and local scenarios. Example publications supported by the MRC Modelling Toolbox include: