Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Development

by Kersten, Gregory E.; Mikolajuk, Zbigniew; Yeh, Anthony Gar-On

• ISBN13: 9780792385820
• ISBN10: 0792385829
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-09-01
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

In recent years, much work has been done in formulating and clarifying the concept of sustainable development and related theoretical and research issues. Now, the challenge has shifted to designing and stimulating processes of effective planning and decision-making, at all levels of human activity, in such a way as to achieve local and global sustainable development. Information technology can help a great deal in achieving sustainable development by providing well-designed and useful tools for decision makers. One such tool is the decision support system, or DSS. This book explores the area of DSS in the context of sustainable development. As DSS is a very new technique, especially in the developing world, this book will serve as a reference text, primarily for managers, government officials, and information professionals in developing countries. It covers the concept of sustainable development, defines DSS and how it can be used in the planning and management of sustainable development, and examines the state of the art in DSS use. Other interested readers will include students, teachers, and analysts in information sciences; DSS designers, developers, and implementors; and international development agencies.

Author Biography

Gregory Kersten is Director of the Centre for Computer Assisted Management, School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.Zbigniew Mikolajuk is a program specialist in information technology for Canada's International Development Research Centre.Anthony Gar-On Yeh is Assistant Director of the Centre for Urban Planning and Environmental Management, University of Hong Kong.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Development: An Overview	1	(12)
Tung X. Bui
I. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND DECISION MAKING
Sustainable Development and Decision Support Systems	13	(16)
Zbigniew Mikolajuk
anthony Gar-On Yeh
Decision Making and Decision Support	29	(24)
Gregory E. Kersten
Decision Support with Geographic Information Systems	53	(20)
Anthony Gar-On Yeh
II. APPLICATIONS AND CASE STUDIES
Decision Support for Sustainable Land Development: A Case Study of Dongguan	73	(26)
Anthony Gar-On Yeh
Xia Li
Water Resource Management: A Case Study for EcoKnowMICS	99	(32)
Eduardo D. Gamboa
Decision Support for Incentive Strategies: A Rural Development Application in Central Africa	131	(14)
Benoit Gailly
Michel Installe
Efficient Strategies: An Application in Water Quality Planning	145	(22)
Alexander V. Lotov
Lioubov V. Bourmistrova
Vladimir A. Bushenkov
Integrated Rural Energy Decision Support Systems	167	(16)
Shaligram Pokharel
Muthu Chandrashekar
DSS for Sustainable Land Management: A South-East Asia Case	183	(14)
Mohammad Rais
Samuel Gameda
Eric T. Craswell
Adisak Sajjapongse
Hans-Dieter Bechstedt
Mapping Critical Factors for the Survival of Firms: A Case Study in the Brazilian Textile Industry	197	(18)
Carlos A. Bana e Costa
Emerson C. Correa
Leonardo Ensslin
Jean-Claude Vansnick
Learning Negotiations with Web-based Systems: The Base of IIMB	215	(24)
T. R. Madanmohan
Gregory E. Kersten
Sunil J. Noronha
Margaret Kersten
David Cray
Natural Resource Conservation and Crop Management Expert Systems	239	(24)
Ahmed Rafea
III. RESEARCH ISSUES
Rule Induction in Constructing Knowledge-Based Decision Support	263	(14)
Tu Bao Ho
Organizational Memory Information Systems A Case-based Approach to Decision Support	277	(14)
Helen G. Smith
Frada V. Burstein
Ramita Sharma
Dayo Sowunmi
Software Internationalization Architectures for DSS	291	(14)
Patrick A. V. Hall
Software Integration for Environmental Management	305	(24)
Victor S. Chabanyuk
Olexandr V. Obvintsev
Design of Decision Support Systems as Federated Information Systems	329	(14)
David J. Abel
Kerry Taylor
Gavin Walker
Graham Williams
Knowledge Discovery in Databases and Decision Support	343	(26)
Anantha Mahadevan
Kumudini Ponnudurai
Gregory E. Kersten
Roland Thomas
IV. DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Experience and Potential	369	(22)
Patrick A. V. Hall
DSS Application Areas	391	(18)
Gregory E. Kersten
Gordon Lo
Glossary	409	(6)
Contributors	415