EMDS

General System description

System name: Ecosystem Management Decision Support

Acronym: EMDS

Brief overview

The Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system is a general solution framework for knowledge-based decision support of ecological assessments at any geographical scale.[[Category:]] [[Category:]]

Scope of the system

The system provides decision support for landscape-level analyses through logic and decision engines integrated with the ArcGIS geographic information system. The NetWeaver logic engine evaluates landscape data against a formal logic specification designed in the NetWeaver Developer system, to derive logic-based interpretations of ecosystem conditions. The decision engine evaluates NetWeaver outcomes, and data related to the feasibility and efficacy of land management actions, against a decision model for prioritizing landscape features built with its development system, Criterium DecisionPlus. CDP models implement the analytical hierarchy process, the simple multi-attribute rating technique, or a combination of the two methods. The system has been used in a high variety of applications^[1].

System origin

• Who and when was it developed
• how was it developed
• is it a commercial product
• There are numerous real-life applications of the system.

Support for specific issues

Is the system designed to take into account specific uses? E.g. guidance on ways to characterize biodiversity, economic-biodiversity tradeoff analysis methods, risk assessment methods, landscape analysis methods, timber harvest effects, climate change effects, biological effects (pests, pathogens, invasives), fire,...

Support for specific thematic areas of a problem type

• Silvicultural
• Certification
• Conservation
• Restoration
• Transportation
• Development choices / land use zoning
• Policy/intervention alternatives
• Sustainability impact assessment (SIA)

Capability to support decision making phases

(NOTE I do not quite know what to do with this, as I do not understand it myself, although it seems related to system use)

(Click here to see a more detailed explanation)

• Intelligence (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)
• Design (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)
• Choice (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)
• Monitor (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)

Related systems

EMDS is an extension to ArcMap, and is also available in a stand-alone edition built on ArcEngine.

The system uses the logic engine of NetWeaver Developer, which is a knowledge-based decision-support system for logic-based inference. NetWeaver Developer is used to design the logic models used by EMDS.

The system also uses the decision engine of Criterium DecisionPlus, which implements the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) to support resource allocation decisions. CDP is used to design the decision models used by EMDS.

Projects are stored as either SQL Server of Microsoft Access databases, and spatial data are stored in ArcGIS file geodatabases.

Data and data models

Typical spatial extent of application

Spatial scale of an EMDS application is user defined, and with multiple scale interaction (projects can accommodate multiple scales of potentially linked assessments).

Forest data input

Data inputs are user defined. Data may represent biophysical, social, economic, or political attributes of a landscape unit.

Units of observation may be forests, stands, points (e.g., individual tree), lines (e.g., roads and streams), or any other GIS (vector) feature class (e.g., region, province, ecotype, etc.).

Raster data sets are not currently supported.

Type of information input from user (via GUI)

The user specifies what GIS layers are to be included in a specific assessment, and which logic and decision models are to be run against the specified set of layers.

Data provided to logic models can be edited "on the fly" by users in scenarios.

Both the logic and decision components of the system attempt to automatically match attribute field names from the input layers to model data-input fields. Dialog windows in each component present the resulting field mapping to the user for verification and, if necessary, editing.

Models

All logic and decision models used by the system are user defined.

Logic models are designed in NetWeaver Developer

Decision Support

Definition of management interventions

Define what is available for the manager to intervene in the forest: time of harvest, plantations, thinnings, reconversions... Existence of prescription writer, simple enumeration of all possibilities, scenario simulation , etc.

Typical temporal scale of application

Define the temporal scale of the application: E.g., operational and immediate level, Tactical planning (short term) and strategic level.

Types of decisions supported

• Management level
  • strategic decisions
  • administrative decisions
  • operating control decisions
• Management function
• planning decisions
  • organizing decisions
  • command decisions
  • control decisions
  • coordination decisions
• decision making situation
  • unilateral
  • collegial
  • Bargaining / participative decision making

Decision-making processes and models

• Logic modeling
• Operations research modeling
  • Direct approaches
  • Heuristic manipulation of simulation models
• Business modeling
• Simulation (with and without stochasticity)
• Multiple criteria/ranking
• Other

Output

Types of outputs

Types of outputs produced (tables, maps, 3-D visualizations, pre-programmed summaries, etc)

Spatial analysis capabilities

• integrated capabilities
• facilitates links to GIS (wizards, etc.)
• provides standard data import/export formats
• allows spatial analysis (e.g. topology overlays (e.g. multi layering of different maps, selection of objects based on selection criteria, aggregation by attributes (e.g. areas of similar characteristics), Linking by logical means, Statistics by area, analysis with digital terrain model)

Abilities to address interdisciplinary, multi-scaled, and political issues

Evaluate interactions between different basic information types (biophysical, economic, social). Produce coordinated results for decision makers operating at different spatial scales facilitate social negotiation and learning

System

System requirements

• Operating Systems: (Windows, Macintosh, Linux/UNIX, Web-based, Others)
• Other software needed (GIS, MIP packages, etc...)
• Development status

Architecture and major DSS components

Describe the basic architecture of the system in software and hardware. Desktop client-server, web based, as well as the integration with available systems. Basic data flow, focusing on retrieval of required input and propagation and implementations of decisions. Mention its modular and scalability capabilities.

Usage

Describe the level of use: Research level use, Industry use, Government use

Computational limitations

Describe the system limitations: e.g. number of management units, number of vehicles, time horizon

User interface

Describe the quality of user interface and the Prerequisite knowledge for using the system

Documentation and support

Describe the connection to Help-system and possibilities for assistance, as well as the required training and user support levels

Installation

• Prerequisite knowledge: Level of effort to become functional
• Cost: (purchase price, development costs, demonstrated return on investment, cost of use, training costs, licence and maintenance costs)
• Demo: allows the download/utilization of a trial version. If yes, where is it available and what are the trial conditions.

References

Please visit the EMDS page on Wikipedia for a list of EMDS applications and associated publications.

Cited references

1. ↑ REYNOLDS, K.M., M. TWERY, M.J. LEXER, H. VACIK, D. RAY, G. SHAO et J.G. BORGES (2008): Decision Support Systems in Forest Management. In BURSTEIN, F. et C. W. HOLSAPPLE (Eds.): Handbook on Decision Support Systems 2: Variations. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp 499-533.