Spatial understanding and decision support system: A prototype for public GIS

The idea of public participation GIS involves the use of GIS tools to help laypcople understand the spatial consequences of proposed projects, evaluate alternatives, and create new solutions. The widening use of information networks creates opportunities for making GIS a widely accessible decision-making tool, bypassing the constraints of location and time. This paper presents a prototype software that enables group collaboration across space and time using the Internet infrastructure. The prototype, called Spatial Understanding and Decision Support System (SUDSS), was designed to facilitate a controlled experiment in collaborative group work aimed at solving a realistic land-use planning problem. The paper discusses design considerations for a distributed public GIS and presents the functionality of SUDSS using the example of group participation in developing a land-use zoning plan.