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Pfeil Introduction in Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS)

Pfeil Definition: SDSS is an interactive, computer-based system designed to support a user or group of users in achieving a higher effectiveness of decision making while solving a semi-structured spatial decision problem (Jacek Malczewski, Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, Canada);
Pfeil Decision Support: How and to what extend can GISystems provide support required in each of the three phases of decision-making?
Intelligence
  • the intelligence phase involves searching or scanning the environment for conditions calling for decisions;
  • this phase requires an exploratory analysis of the decision situation;
  • GIS can play a vital role at the initial stage of spatial decision-making;
  • the system can help in coordinating decision situation analysis through its ability to integrate and explore data and information from a wide range of sources;
  • GIS can effectively present information in a comprehensive form to the decision makers.
Design
  • the design phase involves inventing, developing, and analyzing a set of possible decision alternatives for the problem identified in the intelligence phase;
  • a formal  model  is typically  used  to  support  a  decision  maker  in generating the set of alternatives;
  • while an increasing number of GISystems are described as systems for supporting the process of designing and evaluating spatial decision alternatives, most commercially available GIS lack the kinds of spatial analysis and modeling required by decision makers;
  • the capabilities of GIS for generating a set of alternative decisions are mainly based on the spatial relationship principles of connectivity, contiguity, proximity and the overlay methods;
  • in current GIS environments,  models for generating decision alternatives operate in the background, detached from users insights and qualifications.
Choice
  • the choice phase involves selecting a particular decision alternative from  those  available;
  • each alternative is  evaluated  and  analyzed  in  relation  to  others  in terms  of  a prespecified decision rule;
  • the decision rules are used to rank the alternatives under consideration;
  • the  ranking  depends upon the decision maker's preferences with respect to the importance of the evaluation criteria;
  • critical for use of GIS in the choice phase is the capability of incorporating the decision maker's preferences into the decision-making process;
  • in general, GISystems do not  provide a mechanism for flexible incorporation of the decision maker's preferences into the decision-making process.
Conclusions:
  • GISystems have limited capabilities of supporting the design and choice phases of the decision-making process;
  • the systems provide a very static modeling environment and thus reduce their scope as decision support tools - especially  in the context of problems involving collaborative decision-making.
Pfeil Samples: Sampleimage #1 | Sampleimage #2 | Sampleimage #3 | Sampleimage #4
Pfeil Short Info: Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) are geospatial systems interacting with mathematical models for visualization and simulation potential decisions. Here the fields of Geoinformation (GIS) and Operations Research (OR) are working together.
 

Pfeil Projects:
Pfeil 01 pdf Application Fields for SDSS in Austria / Business Plan (Presentation, 2007)
Pfeil 02 pdf The importance of a spatial decision support system in a modern world (Paper, 2006)
Pfeil needed Software Get Adobe Reader
 

Pfeil Relevant Links
Pfeil References: Power, D.J. A Brief History of Decision Support Systems. DSSResources.COM, World Wide Web, http://DSSResources.COM/history/dsshistory.html, version 4.0, March 10, 2007.See flag
ISWorld Spatial Decision Support Systemsflag
Pfeil Research: Introduction in Spatial Decision Support Systems (NCGIA) flag
Recent developments associated with decision support systems in water resources (University of Austin) flag
University Consortium for Geographic Information Science flag
NCGIA, University of Claifornia flag
Pfeil Industry: Environmental Systems Research Institute, ESRI flag
Intergraph flag
Autodesk Geospatial flag