A case study on decision support in a non-linear world

This paper deals with a practical decision situation in which a non-linear model had to be built describing the design and operation of a trailer suction dredger. The decision makers were faced with all kinds of stumbling blocks for the application of non-linear optimization techniques. This case study illustrates how a bottom-up decision support approach can stimulate improved decision making both on the operational and tactical level. Besides that the model improvements obtained in the prototyping phase led to remarkably reduced computing cost, a quantitative aspect that was highly appreciated too.