What do we know about decision support systems for landscape and environmental management? A review and expert survey within EU research projects

With increasing relevance of transdisciplinary research approaches and impact orientation of scientific achievements, research projects in agricultural landscape management frequently develop information and decision support tools (IS/DSS). An empirical overview on their applicability, user demands and capabilities, functionalities and stakeholder participation in the development process is still lacking. A structured review of projects and an expert survey was carried out to analyse the specific situation of EU-funded research projects. Results reveal certain discrepancy between tool developers’ aspirations and outcomes in terms of practitioners targeting. Tools often focus on generic knowledge transfer, but other aspects such as targeted policy and decision-support, longevity, user guidance and involvement are limited. Enhanced integration of end-users in the tool development process and the targeting of a community of practice can help to improve tool usability and applicability. Digital advancement, newly available and integrated data sources offer future opportunities to improve knowledge transfer and decision support.

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