Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Development A Resource Book of Methods and Applications

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.

Preface. Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Development: An Overview; T.X. Bui. I: Sustainable Development and Decision Making. 1. Sustainable Development and Decision Support Systems; Z. Mikolajuk, A. Gar-On Yeh. 2. Decision Making and Decision Support; G.E. Kersten. 3. Decision Support with Geographic Information Systems; A. Gar-On Yeh. II: Applications and Case Studies. 4. Decision Support for Sustainable Land Development: A Case Study of Dongguan; A. Gar-On Yeh, X. Li. 5. Water Resource Management: A Case Study for EcoKnowMICS; E.D. Gamboa. 6. Decision Support for Incentive Strategies: A Rural Development Application in Central Africa; B. Gailly, M. Installé. 7. Efficient Strategies: An Application in Water Quality Planning; A.V. Lotov, et al. 8. Integrated Rural Energy Decision Support Systems; S. Pokharel, M. Chandrashekar. 9. DSS for Sustainable Land Management: A South-East Asia Case; M. Rais, et al. 10. Mapping Critical Factors for the Survival of Firms: A Case Study in the Brazilian Textile Industry; C.A. Bana e Costa, et al. 11. Learning Negotiations with Web-based Systems: The Base of IIMB; T.R. Madanmohan, et al. 12. Natural Resource Conservation and Crop Management Expert Systems; A. Rafea. III: Research Issues. 13. Rule Induction in Constructing Knowledge-Based Decision Support; T. Bao Ho. 14. Organizational Memory Information Systems A Case-based Approach to Decision Support; H.G. Smith, et al. 15. Software InternationalizationArchitectures for DSS; P.A.V. Hall. 16. Software Integration for Environmental Management; V.S. Chabanyuk, O.V. Obvintsev. 17. Design of Decision Support Systems as Federated Information Systems; D.J. Abel, et al. 18. Knowledge Discovery in Databases and Decision Support; A. Mahadevan, et al. IV: Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Development. 19. Experience and Potential; P.A.V. Hall et al. 20. DSS Application Areas; G.E. Kersten, G. Lo. Glossary. Contributors.

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.