The Combined Systems Project took the effort to describe a multi-facetted crisis scenario. The purpose of this case study is to put all the researched concepts into context. The scenario is a means to illustrate the interrelations and the added value of the Intelligent Building Blocks, in a realistic setting.

The scenario is called the Rotterdam Harbor Scenario. The general outline is that two ships collide in the Rotterdam Harbour. The cargo causes chemical gases to spread across the harbour area. Some people panic, others stop and watch the scene. Some are exposed to the gases and casualties are inevitable. Medical personnel has to reach the crisis scene, the fire at the boats has to be controlled, buildings need to be evacuted, and traffic needs to be redirected. It is not clear whether the incident is an accident or a deliberate (terrorist) act.

The proposed scenario allows all Combined Systems topics to be addressed: chaos in an open world situation, where many networked actors and agents join forces and are in need of adequate decision support facilities. A major issue here is when more centralized versus more decentralized solutions are most suitable.

An elaborate description of the scenario is available in the project booklet Combining More For Crisis Management. The section In Practice describes how the various Intelligent Building Blocks relate to the scenario.