Stages in the Adoption of a Spatial Decision Support System for Reorganizing Service Delivery Regions

A prototype spatial decision support system (SDSS) was used by a task force appointed by the State of Iowa to redraw the boundary lines of education service delivery regions so that “the total number … is no fewer than four and no greater than twelve”. Details of this regionalization problem are described and key stages are identified in the task force's adoption and use of the SDSS to arrive at recommended solutions. The approach separates the policy task of setting regionalization objectives and criteria from the more technical task of locational analysis which involves searching for alternatives that meet the requirements of the policy criteria. It is concluded that the SDSS contributed significantly to meeting the basic objectives of the Iowa Legislature.