Geographic Information System Technology and Decision Support Systems - Introduction

Decision Support Systems (DSS) that operate within a spatial or spatial–temporal context represent special forms of more general decision support systems. Their intent is to permit planners and policy makers to: (1) integrate large quantities of existing space–time data, (2) use these data as inputs to sophisticated forecasting models for predicting the results of alternative policy choices, and (3) display the model results in easily understood ways to public officials and private citizens as well as to the scientific community. Basic to the use of the DSS is the ability to examine various “what if” situations within the operational context of the DSS. Some of these systems are purely spatial in nature, but the “what if” basis of their operations clearly calls for the incorporation of an explicit temporal component in nearly all cases. Building a spatial or spatial–temporal DSS generally involves four major activities: (1) data acquisition and evaluation, (2) database design and construction, (3) construction and testing of analytic space–time forecast (or “what–if”) models, and (4) primary data and end product visualization. Currently available GIS technology is typically spatial rather than spatial–temporal in nature and has addressed the first two of these activities in some depth. Visualization is also a standard component of the existing GIS technology but in nearly all cases it is limited to the creation of static, conventional maps and available commercial systems have not taken proper advantage of modern visualization approaches and technology. It is within this context that the six papers composing the Minitrack on GIS and Decision Support have been selected. None represents a full and complete implementation of a spatial–temporal decision support system, since this goal most likely lies beyond our means at the present time, but all of them contribute to the future creation of such systems. The need for operational decision