Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Naicong Li Stephen Daugherty Steve Paplanus

1. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Naicong Li Stephen Daugherty Steve Paplanus Nathan Strout Lisa Benvenuti Serene Ong Martin Wong The Redlands Institute, University of Redlands AAG 2009, Las Vegas, Nevada March 22 – 27, 2009

2. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal • Outline • The needs of Spatial Decision Support (SDS) • Incremental development of the SDS portal • Conceptual framework for the content on the portal • SDS Knowledge Portal • SDS Resource Portal • Conclusion and future work

3. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal • The needs of Spatial Decision Support (SDS) • Easy access to SDS resources, and understanding of their functionalities • Software tools • Models • Data sources • Workflows • Case studies • Literature • Intended users • People facing spatial decision problems - decision makers, practitioners, etc. • University researchers and students

4. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal • Vast amount of SDS resource related information out there... • Requirements on the SDS Portal • SDS Resources characterized with a standard set of searchable parameters • Consistent presentation of information • Consistent use of terminology within a user community • Same conceptual framework organizing everything

5. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal • Organization of the SDS resources requires a systematic understanding of the field of spatial decision support: • The nature of spatial decision problems • Decision context • Decision process • Methods and techniques • The application domains of the SDS resources • Functional components of spatial decision support systems and tools • ...

6. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Incremental development of the SDS portal Knowledge Portal - User accessing knowledge about SDS Resource Portal - User seeking resource info Solution Portal - User seeking resource recommendations SDS portal evolution provide content for and organize information on the portal (1) Ontologies as the Conceptual framework for SDS Conceptual framework for the content on the portal

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11. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal • Conceptual framework for the content on the portal • Inside the ontologies: • SDS related concepts, organized into • Hierarchies/graphs, with each concept defined by • Name, synonyms, acronyms/abbreviations • Description, • Set of formally defined attributes • Set of formally defined relations to other concepts

12. Developing a Conceptual Framework for Spatial Decision Support • Assessment • Impact assessment • Status assessment • Suitability assessment • Planning • Alternative evaluation • Plan evaluation • Select or allocate • Location allocation • Resource allocation • Site search or selection • Network design • Schedule • Plan performance evaluation All decision process start from a decision problem, which exists in a decision context Decision objective Decision problem type Time frame Spatial Decision process Geographical context Application domain Spatial decision problem Institutional context Cultural context Social context Legal context

13. SDS Knowledge Portal Decision process phases and steps • Issue articulation • Stakeholder engagement • Problem identification • Visualization Review/ Evaluate Issue articulation Process mapping/ Agenda • Condition assessment • Evaluation criteria specification • Constraints specification • Data development • Models development • Situation assessment • Visualization Spatial Decision process Monitor Condition assessment Structured spatial decision process Continuous decision improvement process • Choice • Specify criterion weight • Impact analysis • Rank alternatives • Sensitivity analysis • Recommend alternative • Create action plan • Visualization • Design • Alternative generation • Alternative screening • Concept design • Detail design • Visualization Implement Choice Design SDS Consortium 2008

14. SDS Knowledge Portal Zoom in to the step “Rank alternatives” Synonyms Prioritize options Definition: Alternative ranking is a process during which a set of alternatives (for the solution of the decision problem) is ranked based on a set of evaluation criteria, with the alternative that based meets the criteria ranked on top. Source of description: ... Editor: ... • Set of alternatives Choice • Recommendation group • Advisor a step in input participant role types • Ranked alternatives output Rank alternatives participant role assumed by • AHP • Value/Utility function method • Ideal/Reference point method • Simple additive weighting method • ... commonly used methods • Decision maker • Resource manager • Resource owner • Stakeholder representative • Decision analyst • GIS analyst Rank alternatives

15. SDS Knowledge Portal A method used for this step – simple additive weighting Abbreviation: SAW Synonyms: weighted summation; boolean overlay; weighted linear combination method; WLC; scoring method Definition: SAW is a multiattribute procedure based on the concept of a weighted average; it calculates a total score for each alternative by multiplying the importance weight assigned to each attribute by the scaled attribute value and summing the products over all attributes; the alternative with the highest overall score is best; the procedure can beperformedusing GIS supporting overlay operations. Source of description: Malczewski 1999, p.199 Decision type Deterministic decision problem Individual decision making Multiattribute decision making Decision Maker Interaction Level Moderate Editor ... • Attribute score • Criterion weight Multiattribute decision rule discussed in implemented by is a kind of input Alternative ranking ... (publications) used for • IDRISI • EMDS • ... Simple additive weighting method output • Ordinal ranking Simple additive weighting method

16. SDS Knowledge Portal EMDS – a tool implementing simple additive weighting Name: Ecosystem Management Decision Support Acronym: EMDS Overview: The Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system provides decision support for integrated landscape evaluation and planning. The system provides decision support for landscape-level analyses through logic and decision engines integrated with ArcGIS 8.1+. The logic engine evaluates landscape data against a formal logic specification, designed with NetWeaver Developer, to derive logic-based interpretations of ecosystem conditions such as biodiversity and sustainability. The decision engine evaluates NetWeaver outcomes (and data related to additional factors such as feasibility and efficacy of land management actions) against a decision model for prioritizing landscape features with decision models built in CriteriumDecisionPlus Platform: Windows XP Cost: Free ... software required analysis unit analysis extent • ArcGIS 9.x • Crriterion Decision Plus • NetWeaver • Sandy River Basin Anchor Habitat Project • ... • Condition assessment • Choice • ... accept data of process types • Multiattribute decision rule • Uncertainty methods • User specified • User specified • EMDS Consortium • Biophysical process • economic process • management process • Social process • ... used for decision process phase/steps used in case studies tool maker methods implemented EMDS EMDS

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18. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Incremental development of the SDS portal Knowledge Portal - User accessing knowledge about SDS Resource Portal - User seeking resource info Solution Portal - User seeking resource recommendations SDS portal evolution provide content and organize information on the portal (1) Ontologies as the Conceptual framework for SDS (2) (1) + more resource categories and instances SDS ontology evolution Conceptual framework for the content on the portal

19. Design considerations for SDS ontologies • Parameters for describing SDS systems and tools • supports multi spatial scale analysis • supports analysis of interdisciplinary interactions • supports social negotiation • description of system components • software required • indicators used • used in case studies • platform • scientific expertise level required • technical expertise level required • developer support needed • development status • online download available • cost • information source • name • acronym • summary • overview • toolmaker • URL • decision problem types targeted • decision process steps served • methods and techniques implemented • model application areas • data models used • input data format • output data type • analysis extent • analysis unit

20. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal • Tools can be browsed by • Alphabetic order • Decision process steps they serve • Model application area • Tools can be searched by multiple criteria

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22. Design considerations for SDS ontologies • Parameters for describing data sources • name • URL • data provider • data topic • data content type • data access mode

23. Design considerations for SDS ontologies • Parameters for describing case studies • project name • summary • overview • decision problem type • decision objective • institutional context • legal context • social context • cultural context • geographical context • decision process steps involved • methods and techniques used • tools used • decision process participants • start year • end year • success factor • lessons learned • citations • URL

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25. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Incremental development of the SDS portal Knowledge Portal - User accessing knowledge about SDS Resource Portal - User seeking resource info Solution Portal - User seeking resource recommendations SDS portal evolution provide content and organize information on the portal (1) Ontologies as the Conceptual framework for SDS (2) (1) + more resource categories and instances (3) (2) + more workflow information and reasoning rules SDS ontology evolution Conceptual framework for the content on the portal

26. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Conclusions and future work We have developed a set of ontologies to organize the body of knowledge in SDS and resource information We have developed a SDS Knowledge and Resource Portal based on the SDS ontologies The Portal can be used to browsed and search SDS related information and resources in multiple ways The Portal can be used as a learning tool More SDS resource collections Develop reasoning capabilities to make search smarter

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28. Towards Developing an SDS Solution Portal Ontology-based approach Practical definition of “ontology”: A domain specific ontology is constructed on the basis of a controlled vocabulary whose meaning is agreed upon by the members of a particular user community. An ontology is a classification system, contains the conceptual categories in this domain, and for each category, the defining attributes of this category, and the various relations that this category bears to other categories. A category has instances sharing the same defining attributes and relations of this category; the difference in their attribute values make them distinct individuals. Ontology language used in this project: OWL

29. SDS Resource Portal development workflow SDS ontologies TopBraid Composer ontology editor add new resource info export export tables on SharePoint html docs User portal web pages access existing SDS resource info convert access