MENARA Policy Support System (PSS) is a web based policy support system for understanding strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) at scales from pixel through regional to national considering environment, water, energy, food, economy and population. It is an horizon scanning tool to identify material threats, opportunities and choke points that may precipitate conflict and is designed to help to think through locally appropriate policy responses. MENARA is the arabic word for lighthouse: this tool is aimed at shedding light in turbulent waters. MENARA enables better understanding of material factors, which combine with elements of governance, politics and ideology to shape regions and determine trajectories of change at scales from local to global.
The MENARA can be applied at the major basin, national or subnational scale, anywhere globally. The MENARA uses 164 input layers representing environmental, social, economic, water, energy, resource, infrastructural and geopolitical factors and categorises these as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Each prognostic of the SWOT analysis considers 7-8 factors and 30 factors are used overall. Anyone can use the system freely and no Geographical Information Systems or other technical knowledge is required to do so.