Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support Systems

DEFINITION A spatial decision support system (SDSS) is an interactive, computer-based system designed to support a user or a group of users in achieving a higher effectiveness of decision making while solving a semi-structured spatial decision problem [10]. It lies at the intersection of two major trends in the spatial sciences: geographic information sciences (GIS) and spatial analysis [10]. What really makes the difference between a SDSS and a traditional decision support system (DSS) is the particular nature of the geographic data considered in different spatial problems and the high level of complexity of these problems. An effective SDSS requires the addition of a range of specific techniques and functionalities, used especially to manage spatial data, to conventional DSS. According to [5], a SDSS should (i) provide mechanisms for the input of spatial data, (ii) allow representation of spatial relations and structures, (iii) include the analytical techniques of spatial analysis, and (iv) provide output in a variety of spatial forms, including maps. Multicriteria spatial decision support systems (MC-SDSS) can be viewed as part of the broader fields of SDSS. The specificity of MC-SDSS is that it supports spatial multicriteria decision making. Spatial multicriteria decision making refers to the use of multicriteria analysis (MCA) to spatial decision problems. MCA [7] is a family of operations research tools that have experienced very successful applications in different domains since the 1960. It has been coupled with geographical information systems (GIS) since the early 1990s for an enhanced decision making.