Environmental risk management with the use of multi-criteria spatial decision support system DECERNS

Abstract

Environmental risk-based land management requires implementation of tools for spatial information analysis, problem-oriented models for assessment of risk values, and corresponding methods for decision-making support. A new framework decision evaluation in complex risk network systems (DECERNS) has been developed to address this class of problems. DECERNS is a web-based spatial decision support system (WebSDSS) for multi-criteria analysis of a wide range of spatially-distributed alternatives, including land-use planning and management. It integrates basic and advanced GIS functions with several multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods and tools. One of the features of the DECERNS WebSDSS is a capability to incorporate various generic and site-specific models for risk analysis and assessment of other decision criteria which are considered within a multi-criteria problem. This paper provides an overview of methods and tools used in DECERNS, emphasising the integration of models into the WebSDSS. Application of DECERNS for a case study on multi-criteria risk management for 137Cs contaminated land resulting from Chernobyl is presented.