Interactive Spatial Decision Support System Research Articles

An Interactive Spatial Decision Support System Enabling Co-Located Collaboration using Tangible User Interfaces for the Multiple Capacitated Facility Location Problem

The Multiple Capacitated Facility Location Problem (MCFLP) is well-known and studied in the international literature optimization problem. The geographical information data of the enterprises' locations are usually either ignored by the modeler or entered manually in these systems. In this paper, a spatial Decision Support System (DSS) is designed and implemented enabling co-located collaboration using tangible user interfaces through a tabletop. The location of the enterprises and the demand nodes can be added with the use of interactive Google Maps. The DSS extracts the geographical information of the selected locations, find the distances between them and executes a dynamic approximation algorithm for this problem. The interactive spatial DSS has been implemented using Java, TUIO protocol and Google Maps. The tabletop offers a user-friendly interface that can be manipulated with human fingers and fiducials.

Development and implementation of an interactive Spatial Decision Support System for decision makers in Benin to evaluate agricultural land resources—Case study: AGROLAND

The sustainable use of agricultural land resources with concern to food security is essential, particularly in developing countries, where yields depend primarily on the biophysical conditions. To support decision making concerning national agricultural land usage, a computer based Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) was developed. Within this SDSS, named AGROLAND, decision makers are able to visualise and evaluate biophysical agricultural land resources based on a marginality index for agricultural land use (MI). Data derived from remote sensing like MODIS or SRTM are thereby interesting and embolden sources to derive natural constraints. MI is calculated by using a fuzzy logic determination algorithm within the interactive SDSS. In AGROLAND, possibilities of user interactions during runtime as well as advanced model-based raster analyses are implemented to generate MI. This paper explicates (i) the development of AGROLAND for Benin, and (ii) the system implementation in institutions optimizing management strategies on the national scale.

Knowledge-based spatial decision support systems: An assessment of environmental adaptability of crops

The development of knowledge-based decision support systems for environmental planning requires the management of complex geospatial information, the integration of expert judgment with decision models, and the dynamic visualization of geographic terrain. This paper describes the design and implementation of a knowledge-based interactive spatial decision support system for identifying the adaptability of crops at a given agro-ecological zone. The system (Eco-SDSS) illustrates the integration of an expert database ECOCROP 1, developed by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to offer a flexible interface to identify tolerant plant species for a defined use and descriptions. The use of such tools offers increasing efficiency for potential extension and research in crop management and land use planning.

SPATIAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ZINC CONTENT IN SOIL

Spatial decision support systems can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of decision-making about the zinc status of soil. In this paper, we present an interactive spatial decision support system (ISDSS), identifying the zinc deficiency zone(s), thus enabling the decision-maker to take appropriate measures for correcting zinc deficiencies in soil. The system can display a contour map of the required Block, District, or State of West Bengal along with information about the quantity of zinc to be added to the soil, if the available zinc is not sufficient for a particular crop. The ISDSS consists of a non-spatial database management system and corresponding spatial database, a model base management system, and a user interface. The ISDSS is developed using the scripting language EASI (Engineering Analysis and Scientific Interface) under the GIS software tool, SPANS (Spatial Analysis System). The system runs under the Microsoft Windows operating system.

An integrated indicator-based spatial decision support system for land quality assessment in Kenya

Sustainable land management can be achieved through the implementation of agricultural practices that are informed by in-depth knowledge of the processes occurring in farms and the larger landscape of which they are part. A prototype interactive spatial decision support system (SDSS) has been developed to assist land use scientists, agricultural extension support personnel and farmers to classify and characterise land quality, assess sustainable land management and identify potential land use solutions at the farm recommendation unit and resource management domain levels in Kenya. The system implements a generic land quality assessment framework that integrates farmer-led participatory sustainability assessment with specialist input into a multi-disciplinary perspective. The system was conceived in support of methodological studies to identify, evaluate and interpret indicators of land quality. It provides a platform for formulating indicators to describe biophysical, socio-cultural and economic processes in agro-ecosystems. It integrates modular assessment, database management sub-systems and geographical information system (GIS). It has been structured to include a project environment, land quality data acquisition control, assessment and output engine and land quality spatial analysis. The output includes visual land quality diagrams and interactive land quality and land attribute quality maps. In its present structure, it is robust and specific enough to encapsulate the major land quality assessment indicators, yet broad enough to allow flexibility for application in different parts of Kenya.

Interactive Spatial Decision-Support System for Multiobjective Hazardous Materials Location-Routing Problems

Hazardous materials (hazmat) logistics management has received increased attention in the past two decades. Important decisions in such management include the selection of sites for hazmat processing and storage, the selection of transportation routes from sources to processing facilities, and the determination of quantities of hazmat shipped over these routes. These decisions are frequently based on multiple criteria (e.g., cost, risk, equity). A personal computer–based, interactive spatial decision-support system was designed to assist decision makers with such problems. Although presented within the framework of a hazmat problem, the system’s components can be modified to analyse any multiobjective location, routing, or location-routing problem.

Multiple-Objective Decision Making for Agroecosystem Management

Multiple-objective decision making (MODEM) provides an effective framework for integrated resource assessment of agroecosystems. Two elements of integrated assessment are discussed and illustrated: (1) adding noneconomic objectives as constraints in an optimization problem; and (2) evaluating tradeoffs among competing objectives using the efficiency frontier for objectives. These elements are illustrated for a crop farm and watershed in northern Missouri. An interactive, spatial decision support system (ISDSS) makes the MODEM framework accessible to unsophisticated users. A conceptual ISDSS is presented that assesses the socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological consequences of alternative management plans for reducing soil erosion and nonpoint source pollution in agroecosystems. A watershed decision support system based on the ISDSS is discussed.

Spatial decision support system for planning sustainable livestock production

Recent shifts toward intensive and large confined livestock production units to enhance economic growth coupled with increased concerns for air, soil, and water quality have necessitated the development of computer-based management decision support systems for selecting environmentally sound production sites and for planning sustainable production systems. An integral part of a sustainable livestock production system is the selection of appropriate land areas that meet several environmental, socio-economic, and aesthetic constraints. Traditionally, regulatory and zoning criteria, in conjunction with manual review and overlay of land cover, soils, and topographic maps, have been used to select sites for livestock production. This approach can be both time-consuming and expensive, and the land areas delineated by this method have been shown to be problematic from the odor nuisance and water pollution standpoint. A more rational approach that narrows down large areas under consideration to a finite set of optimal sites that satisfy the environmental protection goals is needed. This paper describes the development and application of an interactive spatial decision support system to delineate optimal land areas for locating a number of livestock production strategies. The spatial decision support system is based on the ARC/INFO geographic information system and incorporates the effects of land use, soil type, topography, proximity to roads and surface water bodies, and other aesthetic and political considerations, as well as multicriteria analysis techniques. The design and implementation of the system as well as an example application involving several alternative livestock production strategies are presented.