The Decision Making Process
1 2017-12-14T20:48:36+00:00 Environmental Sustainability Research Centre a802fe34a0a9d1bf6df5b209854414a9ce3a9913 1 1 Geospatial technologies are often used in the process of making decisions for a variety of governmental levels, agencies, organizations, and fields. Source: BigStock Images plain 2017-12-14T20:48:36+00:00 boardroom brainstorming business businessman businesswoman casual colleagues conference corporate creative designer discussion females five group happy laptop males manager meeting men multi-ethnic office people person planning professional project real room sitting smile table talking teamwork technology women working young Environmental Sustainability Research Centre a802fe34a0a9d1bf6df5b209854414a9ce3a9913This page is referenced by:
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Decision-Making Processes
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In general, decision making is “the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions” (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 2017). Geospatial technologies and/or the outputs from geospatial technologies are often used in the process of making decisions. The process of going from output results to decision making in the real world is referred to as knowledge mobilization.
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.Access and Equity in using Geospatial Technologies for Decision-Making
The notion of access/equity in using geospatial technologies for decision-making purposes is an important consideration. We need to remember to ask ourselves a few questions. For example, who has access to geospatial technologies? When? Where? How? Also, we need to think about who gets to make decisions based on these data/information? Whose voice is heard? Whose voice is not heard? These are all important issues that complicate the application and use of these technologies around the globe. Not everyone is "invited" to the table to make important decisions (about resources, for example).Final Thoughts
In closing the module, we would like to reiterate that not all environmental sustainability problems can be solved using geospatial technologies, nor do these technologies provide the solution to all sustainability issues in studies where they are used. It is also important to highlight that geospatial technologies are not so freely available for everyone to pick up and use. The use of these technologies requires knowledge and skills, in addition to financial resources to acquire data and software to conduct spatial analyses. However, as we have seen in this module, the increasing availability of open data and open software are certainly changing the way the public can access and engage with these technologies.
