DecisionSupport System An Overview

A decision support system is a computer-based information system that supports government, business or organizational decision-making activities, typically resulting in ranking, sorting, or choosing from among alternatives. DSSs serve the management, operations, and planning levels of an organization (usually mid and higher management) and help people make decisions about problems that may be rapidly changing and not easily specified in advance—i.e., unstructured and semistructured decision problems (Cabrerizo et al., 2015). Decision support systems can be fully computerized, human-powered, or a combination of both computerized and human-powered. As a tool that is intended to support the analysis involved in decision-making processes, i.e., DSS, not to replace the human involvement, is used to support the process from technical implementation details, allowing the users to focus on the fundamental value judgments (Ferrández et al., 2015).

2.20.3.2 DSS Application in China’ Land Use and Planning
There is no standard definition for conventional DSS. SDSS is a combination of GIS technology (Hu and Sheng, 2014), which is composed of spatial databases, spatial decision support, and other spatial data processing including man–machine interface, spatial database, model library, knowledge base, and method library. Nowadays, the SDSS has been applied in agriculture, geological disaster prevention, land-use planning, urban planning, and many other industries and fields which need a large amount of decision support. The scholars have carried on a lot of research and practice.

Currently, China has established a land-use planning information system, but there are semistructured problems involved in planning decision-making, such as massive geographical environmental data. A large number of analysis models and planning scheme and optimization problems formed on this basis. The integration of the two, SDSS and land-use planning system, is necessary to solve practical problems. Its powerful function can assist to analyze, simulate, forecast, and provide scientific decision support for the evolution of land use, and can improve the accuracy of planning information and scientific decision-making (Chen et al., 2011) (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Comparison of decision-making software.

Currently, it has made a huge progress in the application of computer technology, GIS, and model method to the overall land-use planning at the county level, as well as to build a DSS for planning and aiding the preparation of decision-making support in China. The applications include several aspects. First, using a variety of computer language mixed programming, and development of land-use master planning computer-aided system, to achieve the Chinese display and map input and output of the Chinese characters (Enman, 1990). Second, using the system theory and system engineering method, together with the multiple disciplines, the conventional method and the modeling method, the GIS and the computer technology, from the qualitative to the quantitative synthesis, to construct the land-use overall plan decision support system (LUPDSS) (Chen et al., 2005). The system consists of database, knowledge base, model method library, man–machine dialogue and other subsystems, which provides a new and effective tool for the preparation and revision of land-use planning. Third, based on spatial information system design and development mode, the land-use situation and land suitability factor spatial database are completed (La Rosa et al., 2014). Integrated land suitability index comprehensive evaluation model, complete the visualization of land suitability evaluation and land use reform decision support space information system. For land management, planning and local conditions to rational use of land resources to provide spatial analysis and simulation prediction. Fourth, the land-use management decision support system software is developed based on Windows system. The mathematical models of land-use analysis, evaluation, forecast, and structure optimization are developed as well as the data of land use Library (Huang and Ma, 2014). The developed system not only can manage a large number of complex land resources data and carry out the necessary spatial analysis, but also can assist regional land-use management decision-making activities. Fifth, a decision support system for land-use planning based on multiagent is proposed (Ma et al., 2006). A prototype system is developed by using Agent-oriented software. Also, the decision support of land-use planning is realized. Sixth, the planning and layout model based on the knowledge base system is put forward (Yin and Zhu, 2009). On the Visual CH platform, the land-use planning aided design and revision system is developed based on component GIS, which realizes the semiintelligent land acquisition by computer.