Tailor made systems
Spatial decision support systems can help planners to anticipate future developments. However there are many influences that affect the world we live in and no single system can address them all. Therefore, in cases where standardized systems like Metronamica are insufficient, we expand our systems to include factors that influence land use in a specific area or with a particular emphasis, or to provide output that is focused on a specific policy area. Examples include water management, urban planning, demography and ecosystem services.
We have a collection of models, among which the land use and transportation models that are included in Metronamica, that can form the core of a tailor made system. Depending on the area of interest we look for the right model to expand our system with, in collaboration with the enduser – the planner that will use the resulting system. All aspects of our world are thoroughly intertwined, so we aim to integrate all models in one system that fully captures reality including its feedback mechanisms. For this we use the Geonamica software environment that we developed specifically for the integration of dynamic and spatial model. In the end, the tailor made system becomes available as a stand alone system with a user friendly interface so that planners can work with it easily and need not to know all scientific details.
Sometimes, there is no standard solution to a specific planner’s problems. We develop tailor made systems in close cooperation with our users. This is a process that includes a thorough analysis of the problem, a conceptual design and the actual implementation into a user friendly system. Moreover we assist in the process of implementing such a system in planning organizations with user workshops and discussions with end users on the benefits and usage of the system.
Over the last decade we have developed numerous tailor made spatial decision support systems that cover various aspects of spatial planning. Recent examples are the Elbe DSS for river basin management, Xplorah for economic, demographic and transport dplanning and the MedAction system to study desertification. In each of these examples we integrated RIKS models with models from collaborating parties to meet specific needs. Please contact us about the possibilities for a tailor made system that solves your specific problems.