Developing a Collaborative Learning Support System for a Natural Protected Area

The proposed contribution presents the results of an on going research work aiming at the implementation of a knowledge based system devoted to supporting the local government and the citizenship during the setting up process of a Natural Protected Area in Southern Italy. The system architecture integrates Group Decision Support Technology already available on the enterprise software market with tools enabling a dynamic representation of organizational memory. Organizational memory, structured within information systems supporting decision-making and action in organizational environments, can be a useful mean for developing multilevel (individual, of group, organizational) collaborative learning. Starting from the case study -the process for setting up the Gravina Natural Protected Area-, the paper describes the system’s architecture and discusses some problematic issues related to: expert and non-expert knowledge acquisition and representation; possible dynamic representation of organizational memory, creation, use and storage of decision/learning histories, and dimension and relevance of memory.