Analyzing knowledge exchanges in hybrid MAS GIS decision support systems, toward a new DSS architecture

Abstract

In this paper we present the strong points and the weakness of GIS used as decision support systems. We expose the advantages of adding MAS to GIS. We present the common critters used to characterize the MAS-GIS links, and introduce a new point of view about these relations studying the nature of the knowledge used to help decision makers. We explicit the nature and the purpose of these knowledge, and we study the knowledge exchanges between MAS, GIS, experts and decision makers. Then, we propose a new architecture, SMAG, for hybrid MAS-GIS decision support systems development platforms. We implement this architecture and build a decision support system dedicated to the fresh water problem. Thus we illustrate the relevance of our operational decision making solution that is of one the first to make possible to take into account together individual and social behaviors, spatial component and specificities of target sites. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.