GIS for Environmental Decision-Making

Environmental applications have long been a core use of GIS. However, the effectiveness of GIS-based methods depends on the decision-making frameworks and contexts within which they are employed. GIS for Environmental Decision-Making takes an interdisciplinary look at the capacities of GIS to integrate, analyze, and display data on which decisions must be based. It provides a broad prospective on the current state of GIS for environmental decision-making and emphasizes the importance of matters related to data, analysis, and modeling tools, as well as stakeholder participation.The book is divided into three sections, which effectively relate to three key aspects of the decision-making process as supported by GIS: data required, tools being developed, and aspects of participation. The first section stresses the ability to integrate data from different sources as a defining characteristic of GIS and illustrates the benefits that this can bring in the context of deriving land-use and other information. The second section discusses a range of issues concerning the use of GIS for suitability mapping and strategic planning exercises, through illustrative examples. The last section of the book focuses on the use of GIS-based techniques to facilitate public participation in decision-making processes. In particular, it provides an overview of developments in this area, concentrating on how GIS, modeling, and 3D landscape visualization techniques are gradually achieving closer integration.Given the complex challenges presented by global environmental change, GIS for Environmental Decision-Making provides a clear illustration of how the use of GIS can make significant contributions to trans-disciplinary initiatives to address environmental problems.

Preface	p. xi
List of Contributors	p. xiii
Developments in GIS for Environmental Decision-Making
Introduction	p. 1
The role of GIS	p. 1
Tilt structure of the book	p. 2
Where next?	p. 5
References	p. 6
Data for Decision-Making	p. 9
An Optimized Semi-Automated Methodology for Populating a National Land-Use Dataset
Introduction	p. 11
Data	p. 11
Previous approaches to land-use classification	p. 12
Ordnance Survey classification methodology	p. 16
Accuracy assessment of SADDA and OSLUM	p. 18
Conclusions	p. 25
Acknowledgments	p. 26
References	p. 26
A New Framework for Feature-Based Digital Mapping in Three-Dimensional Space
Introduction	p. 29
Case studies of existing frameworks	p. 30
Design issues	p. 39
Proposed model	p. 47
Implementation	p. 53
Interim evaluation	p. 54
Conclusion	p. 55
Acknowledgments	p. 56
References	p. 56
From Electronic Logbooks to Sustainable Marine Environments: A GIS to Support the Common Fisheries Policy
Introduction	p. 59
System design	p. 64
Spatial decision support	p. 66
Conclusions	p. 72
Acknowledgments	p. 73
References	p. 73
Tools to Support Decision-Making 77
GIS and Environmental Decision-Making: From Sites to Strategies and Back Again
Introduction	p. 79
Background: key themes	p. 80
Case studies	p. 83
Discussion	p. 91
Conclusion: from local to strategic and back again	p. 96
References	p. 97
Creating a Digital Representation of the Water Table in a Sandstone Aquifer
Introduction	p. 101
Background	p. 102
Methods	p. 103
Results	p. 107
Discussion of results	p. 109
Conclusions	p. 113
Acknowledgments	p. 114
References	p. 114
GIS and Predictive Modelling: A Comparison of Methods for Forest Management and Decision-Making
Introduction	p. 117
Objectives	p. 118
Study area	p. 118
Data	p. 120
Methods	p. 121
Results	p. 124
Concluding discussion	p. 127
Acknowledgments	p. 128
References	p. 128
A Comparison of Two Techniques for Local Land-Use Change Simulation in the Swiss Mountain Area
Introduction	p. 131
Study area and data	p. 133
Methodology	p. 135
Results	p. 141
Discussion	p. 143
Conclusions	p. 146
Acknowledgments	p. 147
References	p. 147
'Riding an Elephant to Catch a Grasshopper': Applying and Evaluating Techniques for Stakeholder Participation in Land-Use Planning within the Kae Watershed, Northern Thailand
Introduction	p. 149
The case study	p. 150
Research methodology	p. 151
Comparing and refining land-use scenarios	p. 156
Conclusions	p. 161
Acknowledgments	p. 162
References	p. 162
Grid-Enabled GIS: Opportunities and Challenges
Introduction	p. 165
Progress and challenges	p. 170
Conclusions	p. 175
References	p. 176
Participation in Decision-Making	p. 179
Developments in Public Participation and Collaborative Environmental Decision-Making
Introduction	p. 181
Separate development: GIS and visualization	p. 183
Converging technologies: GIS-driven visualization	p. 184
Integrated technologies: collaborative worlds	p. 186
Conclusions	p. 189
Acknowledgments	p. 189
References	p. 189
Using Virtual Reality to Simulate Coastal Erosion: A Participative Decision Tool?
Introduction	p. 193
Simulation and visualization concepts	p. 194
Simulation modelling of coastal erosion	p. 196
Interface with GIS	p. 197
VR visualization	p. 202
Discussion	p. 204
Conclusions	p. 207
Acknowledgments	p. 207
References	p. 208
Multiple Windows on Accessibility: An Evaluation of Campus Buildings by Mobility-Impaired and Able-Bodied Participants Using PPGIS
Introduction	p. 211
Methodology	p. 214
Results	p. 217
Discussion	p. 221
Conclusions	p. 224
References	p. 224
Visualization Techniques to Support Planning of Renewable Energy Developments
Introduction	p. 227
Methods	p. 228
Results	p. 231
Discussion	p. 235
Conclusions	p. 237
Acknowledgments	p. 237
References	p. 238
The Social Implications of Developing a Web-GIS: Observations from Studies in Rural Bavaria, Germany
Introduction	p. 241
Development of the 'Web-GIS Tourismus TUM'	p. 242
Methods and theoretical framework	p. 245
Observations and interpretation	p. 246
Conclusions	p. 251
Acknowledgments	p. 252
References	p. 252
Subject Index	p. 255
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GIS for Environmental Decision-Making

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