The CAPER DSS (Catchment Planning and Estuary Response Decision Support System) has been designed to test the impact of management scenarios designed to reduce pollutant loads to an estuary on the health of the system, linking urban and rural catchment water quality models to estuary water quality and ecological response models.

The model and DSS developers have then facilitated use of the DSS to develop and test management scenarios with managers and stakeholders charged with the development of water quality improvement or protection plans. The model components are built on the ICMS (Interactive Component Modelling System) software platform developed at the CSIRO.

Custom-made interfaces were developed for CAPER using Delphi.