Spatial Decision Support Systems

Although the concept of spatial decision support systems (SDSS) has been around for approximately 40 years, it was not until the early 1990s that SDSS found a wider recognition in geography and geographic information science (GIScience). The development of SDSS has been associated with the need to expand geographic information system (GIS) capabilities for tackling complex spatial decision problems. Over the past two decades, the SDSS concept has evolved into a field of research, development, and practice that is made up of many different approaches and frameworks, among which are Collaborative SDSS (CSDSS), Group SDSS (GSDSS), Intelligent SDSS (ISDSS), Participatory GIS (PGIS), Public Participation GIS (PPGIS), Spatial Knowledge-Based Systems (SKBS), Spatial Multi-Agent Systems (SMAS), and Spatial Planning Support Systems (SPSS). A broader perspective suggests that all these spatial information systems have a [Page 2632]common aim: to improve the performance of decision makers, managers, and citizens when they confront spatial decision problems.

Components of SdSS

A number of frameworks for designing SDSS have been proposed in the past two decades or so. In general, the SDSS concept is based on the DDM (dialogue, data, and model) paradigm. The way the three components are integrated depends on the philosophy behind the design strategy (e.g., a system for supporting a single user vs. that for group decision making), the types of decision problems (e.g., operational vs. strategic decisions), and the models incorporated into the system (e.g., optimization vs. simulation models). Despite these differences, a well-designed SDSS should have a balance among three sets of capabilities in the areas of data, modeling, and dialogue (Figure 1).

Figure 1 The components of SDSS

Source: Authors.

Note: DBMS = database management system; MBMS = model base management system; DGMS = dialogue generation and management system.

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