Decision-Making Processes
Geospatial technologies are ultimately used to help us make better, more informed decisions (e.g., decisions about next steps in the management of resources, like wetlands). For example, if remote-sensing data over time indicates wetland degradation, then perhaps we need to reconsider agricultural activities in adjacent agricultural landscapes that are negatively impacting these wetlands.
An increasing trend in geospatial technologies is the recognition that we need to involve all stakeholders in addressing environmental problems from decision-makers to scientists and academics and the public, if we are going to find solutions to sustainability problems, hence the growth of participatory GIS (PGIS). PGIS is informed by local knowledge; local people acquire the data and analyze it first-hand, thereby making uses of their personal perspectives and priorities (Sieber, 2008; Harris et al., 1995; Pickles, 1995).
Further, we can use a GIS, including web-based GIS (combined with other sophisticated software), to facilitate the inclusion of stakeholders (e.g., crowd-sourcing bird data to visualize spatial patterns in land-use change over time). These sophisticated systems can also be designed as spatial decision support systems (SDSSs). SDSSs have been around for some time now, but are increasingly being used to provide decision-makers with the very detailed and accurate information (including visual information in the form of maps, images, etc.) that they need when decisions involve locations. SDSSs are designed to allow for comparisons to be made between many different alternatives (what if scenarios). Everyone involved can then evaluate/assess the best option(s) for moving forward (or even assess the consequences of spatial decisions and propose alternative solutions to an environmental issue). At present, there are many examples of SDSSs and web-based SDSSs that are used in environmental management/natural resources management (e.g., watershed management, coastal zone management, marine protected areas, etc.).
So, at the end of the day, geospatial technologies (and associated software) provide timely and critical information required by end users that supports their decision-making process.