Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS)

Suitability analysis is often used to support decision making in planning processes, such as environmental planning. Frequently, the goal is to find the most suitable spot for a certain object (e.g. a powerplant, a cable car, a nature reserve). For example, for the policy-makers of the community St. Gittal, it might be useful to coordinate the location of a new cable car with possible retreating areas of the wolf. That way, confrontations between tourists and the wolves can be avoided.
A series of mathematical calculations makes it possible to weigh various alternatives of a decision based on certain criteria and valuations. Often, a wide range of methods are used. Complex Decision Support Systems, DSS, help the decision-makers compare the different options.
If it is a spatial decision problem, the combination of DSS and GIS is suitable. A GIS takes over data management, expands the DSS with spatial analysis functions, and facilitates access to the input data and the results by using cartographic representations. The combination of DSS and GIS makes it easier for the decision-makers to weigh options, and therefore leads to more impartial and open-minded decisions. Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) allow different options of land use to be traded off against each other.