GIScience, spatial analysis, and decision support

Abstract

This chapter outlines the connections between Geographic Information Science (GIScience), spatial analysis, and decision support. GIScience is concerned with the nature of geographic information and geographic phenomena. It provides theoretical foundations for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related geographic information technologies. A variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives on Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in GIScience have been suggested over the last 20 years or so. Spatial analysis (including related fields of GIScience such as geocomputation and geovisualization) and spatial decision support systems provide perceptive perspectives on integrating MCDA into GIS. This chapter argues that it is the confluence of two research areas: spatial analysis and spatial decision support where the concept of integrating GIS and MCDA can offer substantial contributions to the development of GIScience.