Integrated Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and Geographic Information System for Environmental Management

Environmental management of military sites and as part of natural disaster recovery operations, such as with Hurricane Katrina, currently requires decision-makers to integrate information from quantitative environmental models, their own judgment, and the values of stakeholders such as the general public. In addition, an increasing emphasis on the role of Geographic Information System (GIS) in being able to visualize and analyze spatial data makes the integration of GIS data with environmental models more urgent. Environmental managers would significantly benefit from a capability to integrate quantitative environmental models with multi-criteria decision analysis and GIS data for risk management or environmental planning. Phase I will develop a proof-of-concept and hypothetical case study by leveraging open-source GIS software and decision support infrastructure initially developed for the Missile Defense Agency and Air Force strategic planning. This infrastructure will be tailored to include environmental planning decision criteria and metrics. The integration methodology will provide seamless and user-intuitive transfer of data between a GIS capability, environmental models, and a multi-criteria decision analysis capability. The Phase I proof-of-concept will be used to reduce risk and demonstrate key functionality through interaction with Army analysts. The Phase II effort will result in a prototype to evaluate Army environmental issues.