Spatial modelling in a GIS for an environmental decision-support system

Information System (IS) and Decision-Support System (DSS) are important tools in environmental management. They are expected to play an even more important role in the future. In particular, the introduction of Geographic Information System (GIS) as a desktop tool provides an easily understandable way of presenting data, making these tools more applicable. The use of GIS, as the platform for the discussions, pushes the process of bridging the gap between the scientists and environmental managers, and hence improves the basis of making better decisions for the use, protection and planning of the environment. Environmental management and environmental planning are improving daily, thanks to better techniques and approaches, larger processing power, cheaper computer memory, more accurate and available data, and so forth. This trend, together with the rapid progress in research and technology, is facilitating all kinds of decisionmaking by using a decision-support system. In this research we applied innovative mapping techniques using HEC-GeoRAS with ArcView to efficiently develop a spatially referenced floodplain analysis referring to a small area near Ancona (Italy). The project would design an approach, a methodology and an integration process among software to deal with the complexities of such a situation; that is, it will develop the first step in an interactive, iterative and participatory spatial decision support system (SDSS).