Infrastructure Decision Support System

Notorious for its high poverty levels and low socio-economic status, the Navajo Nation’s (Nation) socio-economic well-being is hindered greatly in part by the lack of an adequate potable water infrastructure which has resulted in health disparities and has attributed to stunted economic growth within the Nation. As water infrastructure projects are proposed and developed, decision-makers have the arduous task of selecting projects that will yield the greatest return on investment for the Nation with limited financial resources. Our solution entails the development of multicriteria decision support system (DSS) tool that considers future scenarios and socio-economic factors specific to the Nation that will provide decision-makers significant data-driven support in selecting projects that are in alignment with their development goals. Implemented successfully on the Nation, the DSS tool can be scaled to other developing nations with similar socio-economic conditions.        

The problem is the lack of potable water infrastructure coverage on the Navajo Nation (Nation) and we are trying to increase the coverage. About 30% of residents do not have running water. The lack of potable water infrastructure is responsible for a multitude of socioeconomic issues on the Nation like health disparities and the lack of a sustainable economy. The health disparity issues have been brought to light more recently, as the Nation was in the world spotlight with the disproportionately high cases of COVID-19 which was partially attributed to lack of in-home sanitation facilities. The lack of a sustainable economy has resulted in the highest unemployment rates in the country, as a result Navajo’s are leaving in a mass outmigration. There are approximately 330,000 enrolled Navajos, with approximately 170,000 living on the Navajo Nation (2010 Census). The prospect of improved or newly developed water infrastructure projects on the Nation have been an aspiration that has been passed down to from generation to generation. To say the least, improved water access would be life-changing, and for many would significantly improve deficiencies in areas of health and sanitation while providing greater capacity for economic development.

Our solution is a multi-criteria decision support system (DSS) software tool that would allow prospective water infrastructure projects to be ranked considering the areas of economic development, health improvement, and environmental objectives. The tool will list projects by rank using a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) score for each project. The tool can be used by tribal decision-makers to provide a unified vision in the development of water infrastructure. This will facilitate planning and focus resources to support and execute projects.  The tool is founded upon a DSS analyzation method which is a widely used technique used by organizations and businesses to support determinations and courses of action, and has also been successful in infrastructure planning for developing countries.   

Currently, the DSS tool has been developed to a concept level using Microsoft Excel and Matlab. The tool is programmed with a cost-benefit analysis routine integrated into the multi-criteria decision framework that allows projects to be ranked based on a non-monetized benefit cost ratio. The overall vision for the tool is to advance it to web-based programmable framework providing decision-makers the ability to adjust multiple preferences and scenarios to quickly compare prospective projects.  

The Navajo people are the direct beneficiaries of the development and implementation of this tool. The DSS tool itself is designed to be used by Navajo Nation decision-makers to provide data-driven support in making well-informed decisions regarding water infrastructure projects. Increased access to water empowers people, it improves health and spurs development. The Navajo Nation is a thirsty Nation and has gone without water for far too long. The planning policies of the decision-makers unfortunately lack the comprehensiveness needed to make such critical decision and that is where we want to help.

Being raised on the Navajo Nation, Riley Engineering’s founder has experienced firsthand the hardships of the lack of potable water and understands the needs and obstacles better than anyone else. Riley Engineering was created specifically to help address these water infrastructure issues and has upheld its commitment to serving the Navajo Nation. We have already begun working on the solution, our DSS tool has been introduced to Navajo leaders (Council members and technical department leads) and they have acknowledged its novelty and direct application to helping improve water infrastructure coverage on the Navajo Nation. 

The lack of potable water infrastructure on the Navajo Nation has caused a multitude of deficiencies such as diminished health, unemployment, as well as a lack of healthy food options. With needs so great and project types ranging from windmills to large delivery transmission mains, the DSS tool will help leadership strategically decide which project types should be constructed, e.g., in-home projects or farming, or both. Through its implementation, the DSS tool will increase access to clean water and will also allow for large-scale food production reducing its dependence on food from outside border towns.

In the larger context of things we are not that innovative, we are doing what that Navajo people have doing for previous generations, we are taking non-Navajo ideas and concepts, adapting them and changing them to fit our needs and we make them our own. That is how we have survived, historically. We are using fundamental ideas that have been used to advance the Navajo people.  

With respect to engineering and development on the Navajo Nation, our DSS tool is a whole new approach to water infrastructure planning. We are essentially fulfilling a need. The Navajo Nation needs a major revamp in planning policies because nothing historically has worked. If they did, we would not have 30% of a population without water. We have developed a relatively simple solution that helps to solve a complex problem. There are no other native nations that use this type of process to make project selections, and that is what we would like to bring to the table. There are no competitors, there are no other researchers or engineering firms that have even begun to scratch the surface on addressing Navajo Nation water infrastructure issues on a nation-wide scale. We are the first. 

Our vision for the implementation of the DSS tool is through and application or web-based software platform accessible by Navajo decision-makers. Our preliminary developments have consisted of executing the DSS tool manually using Microsoft Excel in comparison of two actual large candidate regional water transmission pipeline projects on the Navajo reservation that provided benefit-cost ratio (BCR) calculations for each. For further development, initial scripts in MATLAB have been written with intentions of establishing a functional programming platform to be translated to other coding languages in the future. Our hope is to create a user-friendly DSS tool interface, providing the capability to select various scenarios; multiple projects; preferences towards health, environmental, or economic interests, etc. Coding for the possible scenarios, amongst other factors, will be an integral task as it will ultimately determine which projects have the highest BCR value to serve as a data-driven resource to assist Navajo decision-makers make well-informed decisions.     

At the core of the tool and coding is the Analytic Hierarchy Process, which is one of the most commonly used multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods for decision making problems and breaks down large unstructured decision problems into manageable and measurable components. The MCDA is embedded within a benefit cost ratio structure where projects ultimately receive a benefit cost ratio score.

The DSS Tool has been introduced and discussed in detail in the 2017 dissertation by Dr. Ronson Chee titled Prioritization of Water Infrastructure Investments on the Navajo Nation, which features the calculation of two large candidate regional water transmission pipelines for the Navajo Nation. The dissertation was approved by the University of Arizona civil engineering department as a novel approach to solving water infrastructure deficiencies on the Navajo Nation.

Similar approaches have been used to rank and score infrastructure projects in developing countries around the world and has demonstrated to be successful. There are numerous case studies in technical and engineering journals that have shown it to be an effective tool.

Our theory of change model is founded on identifying and addressing root matters that have lead to systemic deficiencies. We view civil infrastructure as an integral foundation in which a society is developed and maintained. Water infrastructure serves as a pillar in an array of societal arenas, including economic development, agriculture and healthcare. For the Navajo Nation, the lack of water infrastructure has constrained the tribe’s ability to grow in arenas dependent on water. With a limited budget dedicated to infrastructure development, along with the challenging economic constraints of fiscal capabilities, Navajo decision-makers are in a challenging position to make critical choices regarding the infrastructural future on the Navajo Nation. The concept of our decision support system (DSS) was inspired by those challenges and to ultimately give decision-makers additional guidance in making those critical decisions.  The Prioritization of Water Infrastructure Investments on the Navajo Nation dissertation has been established as the foundation for the overall vision of the DSS tool. Much of the initial groundwork has be laid.

With an established tool accepted and used by decision makers, the change is expected as follows. The Navajo Nation will be able to select the projects that will have the most bang for the buck using the limited funds. The infrastructure then provides the basis for economic growth and added health benefits. The economic growth (businesses and industry) then provides the taxes and utility service revenues needed to help pay for operation and maintenance costs. Surplus which is essentially non-existent will be used to reinvest back into water projects. The economic growth and time saved from hauling water translates into increase economic opportunity for Navajos thereby increasing the overall welfare of the Nation.

The DSS tool framework has been in a preliminary state since 2017 as part of the Ph.D. dissertation work performed by Dr. Ronson Chee at the University of Arizona. The dissertation is titled Prioritization of Potable Water Infrastructure Investments on the Navajo Nation. The DSS Tool is in the initial stages of development as a functional program using Excel and MATLAB and has yet to serve our desired beneficiaries of decision-makers for the overall benefit of residents. We anticipate upon acceptance for use by Navajo technical departments, that it will take approximately one to two years to develop a fully functional tool. In five years, we expect to have a fully functioning application accessible by Navajo governing authorities for the use of comparing prospective water infrastructure projects. Assuming it is rolled out, in the fifth year, the DSS Tool has the potential to play a role in the development of water infrastructure for the entire Navajo Nation (approximately 170,000+ based on 2010 census).  

Depending on funding sources, our goals within the next year consist of the development of a working prototype using MATLAB App Designer (or equivalent) in efforts to produce a tangible model to be demonstrated for Navajo governing officials. To develop a working prototype, it will require additional designation of hours from our staff at Riley Engineering to produce a working program. In addition to developing the application, intensive data collection efforts will also be required. Reliable demographic and project data need to be collected from the Navajo Nation to allow the DSS Tool to produce quality results.

Our goals in five years entail a fully functional application or website accessible by Navajo governing officials as part of their process of planning and initiating water infrastructure projects. Upon successful application of the website, other governing bodies and tribal nations with similar socioeconomic conditions as the Navajo Nation can utilize the technology to organize data and execute projects.     

Some of the barriers that exist for us to accomplish our goals for the next year concern the financial funding for research and development for the DSS tool prototype. As a water resources engineering firm, work and time commitments for existing projects limit the ability to designate additional employees or interns to program the prototype. If outside sub-contractor support is needed, additional financial resources would be needed. This is not the first time a similar application has been developed so we are confident with enough time and resources we can develop a working model.

As for the next five years, barriers also relate to the financial funding, but perhaps the largest barrier is for Navajo leaders and technical departments to fully adopt the DSS model and create a policy framework with the DSS model at the center. Additionally, securing reliable data and managing that data for the DSS Tool will also be a challenge as the tool requires data reported by several tribal agencies. Collaboration amongst tribal agencies has not been successful in the past and will likely continue to be an obstacle to navigate.   

To address the financial burden of developing the DSS Tool, the project will need to be further invested by the parties that have shown interest in the technology (e.g., the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, the Indian Health Service and select Council members). Our intent is to develop a working tool that can be demonstrated to all interested parties so that it can spur additional investment to further advance the tool. We strongly believe that with the contacts that we have made with key members of the aforementioned agencies, we can spur additional investment. The Navajo Nation has already begun investing its own money toward solving this water problem with passage of legislation that allocates funds to be put specifically toward water infrastructure. All it will take is redirecting a minor portion of these funds into planning and engineering efforts.

With regard to getting Navajo leaders to implement the policy, that will require some lobbying to persuade Council and key government officials. This can be done and has been done before. Riley Engineering has already partnered with key professionals who are able to navigate the Navajo political arena and are able to establish meetings with key personnel to push ideas further. The current timing and situation with COVID-19 are also providing opportunity, with much of the attention focused on water infrastructure leaders are willing to listen about how to improve water infrastructure policy and planning.

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4 (2 full-time and 2 part-time staff)

Being a Navajo-owned civil engineering firm specializing in water resources engineering, one of the greatest aspirations of Riley Engineering is to improve the living conditions on the Navajo Nation through the development of water infrastructure. Furthermore, the founder of Riley Engineering, Dr. Ronson Chee, Ph.D., P.E., is the first Navajo to receive a Ph.D. in civil engineering (with a water infrastructure emphasis) and had dedicated his life’s work to improving water infrastructure coverage for Native. He is personally invested in the problem and finding a solution. Currently, 4 of the 8 employees at Riley Engineering are Navajo and will be working on development of the DSS tool. For our staff, there is significant incentive, both personally and professionally, to work on projects directly related to the Navajo Nation. Additionally, our staff brings a diverse wealth of knowledge and experience in aspects of water resources engineering, along with bright outlook through our engineers-in-training and interns. Through our research & development, our team understands the unique challenges that face our tribal nations and recognize the value of decision support system (DSS) technology in providing valuable insight to the communities it serves.   

We do not have any formal agreements or contracts in place, but we have worked with and are continuing to have dialogue with departments such as: the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, who is responsible for provide water utility services through the Navajo Nation; the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, who is responsible for the management of water resources throughout the Navajo Nation; and the Indian Health Service who is responsible for providing in-home sanitation facilities. These partners have provided significant contribution into the preliminary DSS tool that was developed as part of Dr. Chee’s Ph.D. dissertation and have continued to show interest in the development of the tool. They will be critical to the success and likely the primary users/owners of the tool.  

Our current financial support for the DSS Tool relies entirely on company investment from Riley Engineering. We will continue to invest as much as we can on our own, but we must also be a sustainable business. There is no direct financial sustainability with our DSS tool. It is an investment into a tool that will streamline processes for the Navajo Nation. The returns will not be seen until infrastructure is constructed and benefits come in the form of economic development, health improvement and food sovereignty. It is not likely that funds will get reinvested back into the tool, that is up to the Navajo Nation as they will ultimately be the owners of it. Although grants and donations toward the development of the technology would provide financial relief to achieve a MATLAB Designer App prototype and proficient software, long-term investment from users will be critical. Initial success and investment can provide a path to scalable versions for other tribal nations and communities.

As a technology-driven challenge to impact Native communities, we felt that MIT Solve’s 2020 Indigenous Communities Fellowship would be a significant opportunity to showcase our solution. As you have read, the DSS tool is heavily reliant on technological processes that has the capacity to provide valuable data-driven decision support for developing tribal nations. Our solution aims to address the most critical need, water. Without water we cannot survive and we cannot thrive. We believe that Solve’s mission aligns with our mission and that is a recipe for success. 

We plan to engage the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, and the Indian Health Service. These are key agencies working on this problem. We hope to have a working relationship with them where we essentially become an extension of them. We would eventually like to be a highly technical team for them to help solve some of these complex problems. As we gain traction, we can incorporate other partners such as the Navajo universities where we can eventually train Navajo engineers to solve these problems.

We are open to MIT support and Solve Members contributing to our goals. However, we do not know anyone in particular.