INTEGRATED DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ENVIRONMENTAL-PLANNING

An integrated decision support system for use in environmental planning has been developed. It consists of eight subsystems; three subsystems are used for the management of relevant data and models, two subsystems are used for the identification of environmental problems and three subsystems are used for their modeling and simulation. It is difficult to obtain sufficient numerical data to build up statistical models on the prediction of enviromental problems. However, the purpose of developing this computer system is to assist in the identification of environmental problems as well as in the building of statistical models that use experts’ knowledge and judgment from the relevant fields. As an application, the processes involved in analyzing environmental problems and the formulation of a fuzzy model to estimate the likely environmental impacts of possible development programs in Tokyo Bay are presented. The system is useful as a decision support tool because it can clarify current and future issues concerning the environment, as well as assist in the planning of effective management programs. It also promotes communication between researchers in different scientific fields who are studying complicated environmental problems. © 1990 IEEE