Consensus-building in a Multi-Participant Spatial Decision Support System
Abstract: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are widely used in local and
regional planning for managing, integrating and visualizing spatial data sets.
However, beyond basic levels of decision support, GIS remain largely external
artifacts to the decision-making process. This suggests that despite increased
analytic sophistication, most GIS software is more suited to providing limited
outputs (maps, tables, etc.) than as a tool to support, at anything other than a
superficial level, tactical or strategic decision-making processes. To improve
the usefulness of GIS as a decision support tool, two needs are apparent. First,
decision-makers require methods that allow them easily to select alternatives
most closely aligned with their priorities across a number of relevant criteria.
Second, it is necessary to recognize explicitly that most decision-making
processes involve multiple participants. Since problem solving is often
characterized by multiple and conflicting objectives, methods that contribute
toward consensus building are required. This paper describes a prototype
Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that satisfies these needs through a
tight-coupling of GIS functionality and Multiple Criteria Analysis (MCA)
techniques. The potential benefits of adopting this approach and future
extensions to the prototype are discussed in light of a land use planning
example.