Integrated decision support system for environmental planning

An integrated decision support system for use in environmental planning has been developed. It consists of eight subsystems: three subsystems are used for the management of relevant data and models; two subsystems are used for the identification of environmental problems; and three subsystems are used for modeling and simulation. The purpose of developing this system is to assist in the identification of environmental problems as well as in the building of statistical models that use experts' knowledge and judgment from relevant fields. As an application, the processes involved in analyzing environmental problems and the formulation of fuzzy model to estimate the likely environmental impacts of possible development programs in Tokyo Bay are presented. The system is useful as a decision support tool because it can clarify current and future issues concerning the environment and assist in planning of effective management programs. It also promotes communication between researchers in different scientific fields who are studying complicated environmental problems. >