An architecture was developed from a synthesis of concepts derived from the literature and field observations to identify and integrate the total decision support (DSS) function in organizations. Four distinct types of decision support systems were identified (corporate planning systems; functional decision support systems; executive information systems; and local decision support systems) and ...

This chapter elaborates the basic concepts underlying the development of Web-based decision support systems (DSS) with a discussion on the key concepts and technical issues. The utility of Web-based decision support system in enhancing communication and decision-making capability in a distributed environment or a multiple stakeholder process (MSP) has been explained through examples with divers...

This article presents decision support system (DSS) guidelines for water resources planning and management in systems with multiple objectives, multiple disciplines, and multiple decision makers. The guidelines are based on experience with DSS development in Africa, Europe, and the US. A prototype DSS for water resources planning in the Nile Basin is also described. The article advocates that t...

Designing environmentally sound landfills is a challenging engineering task due to complex interactions of numerous design variables; such as landfill size, waste characteristics, and site hydrogeology. Decision support systems (DSS) can be utilized to handle these complex interactions and to aid in a performance-based landfill design by coupling system simulation models (SSM). The aim of this ...

The recent deregulation occurred in the public railway sector in many parts of the world has increased the awareness of this sector of the need for quality service that must be o ered to its customers. In this paper, we present a software system for solving and plotting the Single-Track Railway Scheduling Problem e ciently and quickly. The problem is formulated as a Constraint Satisfaction Prob...

A prototype decision support/expert system for contractor prequalification, CP-DSS, is described. The system firstly evaluates contractors' capabilities according to project specific criteria. It then identifies any risks that may be caused by contractors. Finally, contractors are appraised according to their likely performance, management capability, reputation, resources, progress, competitiv...

Since the early 1970s, decision support systems (DSS) technology and applications have evolved significantly. Many technological and organizational developments have exerted an impact on this evolution. DSS once utilized more limited database, modeling, and user interface functionality, but technological innovations have enabled far more powerful DSS functionality. DSS once supported individual...

A programming environment for developing complex decision support systems (DSSs) should support rapid prototyping and modular design, feature a flexible knowledge representation scheme and sound inference mechanisms, provide project management, and be domain-independent. We have previously developed DSSTools (Decision Support System Tools), a reusable, domain-independent, and open-ended toolkit...

There are three important considerations in DSS development. (1) Decision making Involves both primary and secondary processes, where secondary processes concern selecting appropriate decision making tools, approaches, and information. (2) making decisions, humans are subject to numerous cognitive limitations. (3) In order for end users develop DSSs, sophisticated, problem-oriented DSS generato...

Development and use of remediation technologies for contaminated soils and water progresses at a very fast pace and thus a large number of cleanup alternatives emerge. The selection of the most appropriate Remediation technology for the given site must be based on many, usually conflicting, criteria. To successfully apply all these criteria a multicriteria decision support system (DSS) is neede...