Valuation of socio-economic indicators for progressing urban sustainability under distinctive rubrics

The key objective of the study is to collect the factors which play an important role in the city's sustainability and implementation advantages for the development of cities in future. This article develops an urban sustainability assessment framework by giving GIS-based decision support tools to guide cities toward sustainability. Multicriteria analysis was used as the decision support system and provides an analytical framework for assessing differences in the level of criteria and ranking decision options. It has the capability for assessment of urban sustainability because it brings sustainability criteria from three pillars of sustainability, environmental, social, and economic, which provide an integrated approach for assessment of urban sustainability. The GIS-based multicriteria analysis serves as a sustainability support system that maps urban sustainability and the underlying environmental, social, and economic conditions. The results from the study show that the four cities - Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, and Multan - have better economic conditions while only Lahore and Faisalabad showed social progress and the remaining cities showed less suitability. For the environmental index, none of the cities attained high suitability. Lahore, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi showed better conditions than Gujranwala and Multan. It is demonstrated that Punjab cities have made progress in economic condition and improvement in social condition but have poor environmental condition. In the study, the environmental dimension has indicators which have more impact on the urban sustainability. Environmental degradation is observed in all selected regions and not a single region showed suitability toward its environmental condition and due to this none of the cities gained suitable scores for urban sustainability. Consequently, urban sustainability is a multidimensional and dynamic process that needs regular evaluation and monitoring. Thus, this article contends that the tools help to highlight and emphasize those areas that need guidance in achieving urban sustainability.     

An integrated environment for developing knowledge-based spatial decision support systems

Knowledge-based spatial decision support systems (KBSDSS) incorporate heuristic reasoning, and analytical and spatial modelling capabilities to support decision making in resource and environmental management. They are able to provide the assistance for both the structuring and formulation of the spatial problem, and the design and execution of a solution process by automatically integrating different types of models and data. This paper presents a KBSDSS development environment, which connects a GIS tool (ARC/INFO) with an expert system tool (CLIPS) and a hypertext diagramming tool (HARDY). ARC/INFO provides capabilities for spatial data handling. CLIPS is used to develop knowledge bases and heuristic reasoning. HARDY is used to represent spatial problems in terms of diagrams that can then be translated into a CLIPS knowledge base for evaluation. The development environment allows users to structure their problems and develop models for particular requirements and domains.     

Understanding User Interaction Patterns within Online Systems for Public‐Participation Transportation Planning

Many research projects in public‐participation geographic information systems focused on the development of software prototypes that were conceptualized to complement traditional forms of public participation. Given the challenges introduced by the heterogeneity of their user base, system design, and decision making process, empirical evaluations of such systems based on actual use have been scarce. This article reports on a rigorous empirical assessment of human‐computer interaction of users of a web‐based system for participatory transportation planning. We devised three groups of participants with below‐average, average, and above‐average interaction duration through hierarchical cluster analysis. Subsequently, the characteristics of the clusters were subjected to logistic regression analysis to determine the significance and strength of statistical associations between duration of interaction and a host of individual‐level variables. Our results indicate a statistically significant reduction of the odds‐ratio for participants with above‐average duration of interaction in the case of no prior experience with online transportation discussions. No significant associations were found between overall duration of interaction and sociodemographic background, cognitive decision‐making style, and travel behavior. We advocate for the development of adaptable participatory systems which accommodate flexibility in terms of both the user interface and pathways of the decision making process.     

Impact of proximity-adjusted preferences on rank-order stability in geographical multicriteria decision analysis

This paper presents a new approach to deriving preferences assigned to evaluation criteria in geographical multicriteria decision analysis. In this approach, the preferences, expressed by numeric weights, are adjusted by distance measures derived from the explicit consideration of a locational structure. The structure is given by locations of decision options and high importance reference objects. The approach is demonstrated on the example of a house selection case study in San Diego, California. The results show that proximity-adjusted preferences for the evaluation criteria can alter significantly the rank order of decision options. Consequently, the explicit modeling of spatial preference variability may be needed in order to better account for decision-maker’s preferences.     

Index to Cartography and Geographic Information Science,Volume 27

A number of decision support systems (DSS) were evaluated prior to commencing public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) workshops within a small rural town undergoing rapid development. A paucity of existing information regarding the capabilities of these tools and their utility in supporting various PPGIS applications was noted. In order to improve this situation and to better understand the strengths and limitations of the selected DSS CommunityViz, we monitored and measured its utility in supporting community-based spatial decision-making processes from both a technologist and citizen's perspective. Results indicate that CommunityViz has several strengths; however, the software exhibits some weaknesses in the context of our study. In assessing these results we realized that the utility of such findings could be much enhanced if contained within a structure that enables comparison between various DSS. Thus, a major objective was to develop and apply a DSS Evaluation Matrix (DSSEM) that can be used by PPGIS practitioners and participants to evaluate DSS in various project settings. The application of DSSEM will help formalize evaluations of DSS and encourage dissemination of results. Furthermore, it will assist practitioners, citizens, and agencies to make better choices when selecting DSS for PPGIS applications and provide DSS developers with the appropriate information to improve tool design.     

ARAMANI – Decision-Support Tool for Selecting Optimal Participatory Mapping Method

Participatory mapping is an emerging practice in the community development discourse. With its roots in the Participatory Rural Appraisal, it brings active involvement of the community and subjectivity of non-cartographers into the spotlight. The crucial question is how one can choose the most optimal method for participatory mapping, taking into account the specific needs and assets of the community. In this paper, the author presents the ARAMANI tool, expert knowledge-based decision support system operating with 10 participatory mapping methods and experience of 172 survey responders. ARAMANI tool allows users to describe their community assets and needs while combining them with a value-based system for deciding which method to select. The tool is designed as a user-friendly webpage with guidelines and examples of best practices for each method.     

Web-enabled spatial decision analysis using Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA)

 This paper presents a spatial decision support tool that implements the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) method. OWA is a family of multicriteria evaluation operators characterised by two sets of weights: criterion importance weights and order weights. We propose a highly interactive way of choosing, modifying, and fine-tuning the decision strategy defined by the order weights. This exploratory approach to OWA is supported by a graphical representation of the operator's behaviour in terms of decision risk and tradeoff/dispersion between criteria. Our prototype implementation is based on the CommonGIS software, and thus, Web-enabled and working with vector data. We successfully demonstrate online, exploratory support of spatial decision strategies using a data set of skiing resorts in Wallis, Switzerland. Received: 24 September 2002 / Accepted: 10 January 2003     

Map-Based Exploratory Evaluation of Non-Medical Determinants of Population Health

Multi‐criteria evaluation (MCE) and decision‐making are increasingly combined with interactive tools to assist users with visual thinking and exploring decision strategies. The interactive control of criterion combination rules and the simultaneous observation of geographic space and criterion space provide a means of investigating the sensitivity of the decision outcome to the decision‐maker's preferences. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is an MCE method that has been successfully implemented in management processes including those addressed by Geographic Information Systems. In this paper, we present a map‐based, interactive AHP implementation, which provides a link between a well‐understood decision support method and exploratory geographic visualization. Using a case study with public health data for the Province of Ontario, Canada, we demonstrate that exploratory map use increases the effectiveness of the AHP‐based evaluation of population health.     

A New GIScience Application for Visualized Natural Resources Management and Decision Support

This article presents two decision support plug‐ins in free GIS software: ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. The ubiquitous WebGIS Analysis Toolkit for Extensive Resources (uWATER) focuses on providing GIS analysis functions: spatial and attribute queries in the public services tool for users with limited access to commercial GIS software. The interface of uWATER is general enough to support decision‐making in numerous management issues in natural resources, economics and agriculture. The uWATER‐Pumping Assessment (uWATER‐PA) toolkit, on the other hand, is an extended package targeting the specific environmental issue of groundwater pumping impacts. The uWATER‐PA package is an excellent alternative to evaluating complex groundwater pumping assessment issues before investing significant time, labor, and funds in monitoring and detailed scientific study. It incorporates simulation of the physics of groundwater flow and user interaction into GIS software. A graphical user interface makes both data entry and interpretation of results intuitive to non‐technical individuals. Results are presented as colored drawdown maps and can be saved in GIS format for future dissemination. The impact of drawdown on existing wells can be characterized and mapped, through the use of uWATER's spatial query capabilities and the drawdown maps generated by uWATER‐PA.     

应用于PPGIS的一种图形参与技术

IDM是一种新的决策支持技术,首次把它作为PPGIS中公众参与支撑技术进行探讨.介绍了PPGIS的概念,在分析PPGIS中公众参与方法的基础上提出一种基于图形的参与技术--IDM技术,阐述了基于图形的参与技术的数学原理--convex hull理论,构建了IDM技术在PPGIS中的应用模式,并通过资源规划决策地图分析了IDM技术应用于PPGIS的灵活性及优势.     

A web‐based visualization tool for exploring stakeholder conflicts in land‐use planning

This article describes an open source web‐based visualization tool for exploring stakeholder conflicts in land‐use planning. It implements a multi‐criteria, decision‐analytic framework which solves a conflict‐constrained knapsack problem in order to find Pareto efficient combinations of actions which maximize public value, given the conflict constraint. The user interface is centered around an interactive map in which geographical subareas are color‐shaded in proportion to the mean strength of preference for a particular chosen action within the population in the selected area. The aim of this work is to investigate the use of web technologies and formal problem‐solving methods for improving public participation in land‐use planning and support local governments in the pursuit of improved decision‐making. The tool was developed using the free statistical programming language R and the web application framework Shiny. Its usefulness is demonstrated through a case study in Upplands Väsby municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden. The article ends with a summary together with some ideas for future research and development.     

基于J2EE的水环境决策支持系统的研究与实践

结合汾河水环境决策支持系统建立的经验,介绍了系统采用的J2EE技术,以此为工具构建了汾河流域在网络环境下的决策支持系统的基本框架,分析了系统的构建技术和策略,阐述了应用系统的详细功能组成.     

GIS application to build a new parking in East Lansing city

Geographic information Systems （GiS） is being widely applied to official construction activities nowadays. This technique can not only display graphs for each spatial data displayed, but also provide a broad prediction and decision tool. The purpose of this paper is to describe the capabilities of GIS application in building a new parking facility in the city of East Lansing through wide analysis of the surrounding data. The results are displayed in maps and graphs. Finally, the recommendation area is selected using three criteria： proximity to the downtown area; the degree of VACANT; and distance from all buffers.     

An open source GIS‐based Planning Support System: Application to the land use plan of La Troncal,Ecuador

Planning Support Systems (PSS) comprise a wide variety of geo‐technological tools related to GIS and spatial modeling aimed at addressing land planning processes. This article describes the OpenRules system, a PSS based on a previous system called RULES. Among OpenRules new features are its architecture, based exclusively on free and open source software, and its applicability to all land use types, including rural and urban uses. In addition, OpenRules incorporates an unlimited number of land evaluation factors and a new objective in land use spatial allocation. OpenRules has been programmed in Java and implemented as a module of the free GIS software gvSIG, with full integration between the GIS and the decision support tools. Decision support tools include multicriteria evaluation, multiobjective linear programming and heuristic techniques, which support three basic stages of land use planning processes, namely land suitability evaluation, land use area optimization and land use spatial allocation. The application of OpenRules to the region of La Troncal, Ecuador, demonstrates its capability to generate alternative and coherent solutions through a scientific and justified procedure at low cost in terms of time and resources.     

An Application of a Choice Heuristic Algorithm for Managing Land Resource Allocation Problems Involving Multiple Parties and Conflicting Interests

Competition among individuals and communities for the use of resources has made resource management activity very contentious and complex. Conflicts over the allocation of resources are forcing resource managers worldwide, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa, to widen the range of interests they consider and embrace environmental factors before they make and implement resource policies. In tandem with the recent extension of GIS applications into the region therefore is the expectation that the technology would create opportunities for public participation and for resolving conflicts that result from competition for resources. However, creating a supportive environment for people in the communities to actively participate in resource policy decisions requires simple, but efficient, participatory decision support procedures that are lacking in many of today's GIS. This paper describes the application of a decision support algorithm for managing resource allocation problems involving competing interests. A case involving multiple claims to resources in the Aboma Forest Reserve located at Kofiase in Southern Ghana is used to illustrate the Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) methodology.     

Geospatial Human‐environment Simulation through Integration of Massive Multiplayer Online Games and Geographic Information Systems

This article reports on the initial development of a generic framework for integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Massive Multi‐player Online Gaming (MMOG) technology to support the integrated modeling of human‐environment resource management and decision‐making. We review Web 2.0 concepts, online maps, and games as key technologies to realize a participatory construction of spatial simulation and decision making practices. Through a design‐based research approach we develop a prototype framework, “GeoGame”, that allows users to play board‐game‐style simulations on top of an online map. Through several iterations we demonstrate the implementation of a range of design artifacts including: real‐time, multi‐user editing of online maps, web services, game lobby, user‐modifiable rules and scenarios building, chat, discussion, and market transactions. Based on observational, analytical, experimental and functional evaluations of design artifacts as well as a literature review, we argue that a MMO GeoGame‐framework offers a viable approach to address the complex dynamics of human‐environmental systems that require a simultaneous reconciliation of both top‐down and bottom‐up decision making where stakeholders are an integral part of a modeling environment. Further research will offer additional insight into the development of social‐environmental models using stakeholder input and the use of such models to explore properties of complex dynamic systems.     

A GIS-based decision support system for analysis of route choice in congested urban road networks

Urban congestion patterns have become ubiquitous and complex. Traditional, “static” approaches are no longer adequate for analyzing network flows and conducting minimum cost routing. This paper reports on a GIS-based decision support tool for modeling dynamic network congestion and conducting minimum cost routing. The system predicts network flows at a detailed level of temporal resolution, capturing dynamic congestion propagation effects. A Route Planner module solves for the combined departure time and minimum cost routing required for a trip to reach its destination by a given deadline. The GIS provides effective decision support through its database management capabilities, graphical user interfaces and cartographic visualization. This supports analyses of “what-if?” scenarios for strategic planning and tactical management subject to unplanned network disturbances. Received: 1 October 1999/Accepted: 21 September 2000     

British National Report to the International Cartographic Association for the Period 2011-2015

In recent years, the concepts of usability, user experience, and user-centricity have gained in interest. Digital applications, developed in line with criteria related to these approaches, ask for a deeper understanding of users and their requirements. But, even though there is a wide range of methods available, the creation of user-centric applications with good usability and user experience still poses great challenges for developers. This is also true for web maps, i.e. web map applications, which today are ubiquitous on the Internet. They have evolved into an important information and communication tool and address users who do not possess any specific knowledge of Geoinformatics (GI) or Cartography. Despite the efforts made to meet the requirements and preferences of laymen, these users still often face problems when dealing with web map applications. This refers to aspects of design, content, and functionality. Here, participatory design, which is well-known in the field of Software and Web Engineering, might provide a suitable means. By engaging users directly and actively in the application development process, developers are able to gain a profound understanding of the users and their needs. However, there are several open questions regarding the use of participatory design for designing and implementing web map applications: What does the use of participatory design in web map development processes look like in detail? How and to what degree can users be involved in the development processes? Which added values exist? These questions are addressed by the project YouthMap 5020, whose main goal it was to create a prototype youth-centric web map for the Austrian city of Salzburg (zip code 5020). Applying the approach of participatory design, about 120 teenage pupils from several local schools were involved in all kinds of tasks related to the phases of generating the youth-centric Salzburg web city map. Experience and knowledge gained thereby allowed elaborating recommendations generally useful for generating youth-centric web map applications.     

Learning to combine multiple string similarity metrics for effective toponym matching

Several tasks related to geographical information retrieval and to the geographical information sciences involve toponym matching, that is, the problem of matching place names that share a common referent. In this article, we present the results of a wide-ranging evaluation on the performance of different string similarity metrics over the toponym matching task. We also report on experiments involving the usage of supervised machine learning for combining multiple similarity metrics, which has the natural advantage of avoiding the manual tuning of similarity thresholds. Experiments with a very large dataset show that the performance differences for the individual similarity metrics are relatively small, and that carefully tuning the similarity threshold is important for achieving good results. The methods based on supervised machine learning, particularly when considering ensembles of decision trees, can achieve good results on this task, significantly outperforming the individual similarity metrics.