The selectionofa data model is an important step in designinga spatial decision support system (SDSS) because the database is the foundation of the system, and other system components must draw upon the database to perform analysis and display functions. The diversity of representations that must be maintained to support these functionsoftenresultsin a complexdatabase. One way to simplify the implementation ofa complexdatabase is to exploit featuresofa data model embedded in database management software. A methodology for SDSS conceptual database design was developed using the Entity-Category-Relationship approach. To accommodate this conceptual structure in database management software, we reviewed available data models and concluded that the hybrid extended network model is appropriate for use in an SDSS context. To illustrate this methodology,wedesigneda logicaldatabase structure for a locational analysis SDSS.
Spatial decision support systems
Spatial decision support systems have evolved in a manner which parallels that of decision support systems in the business data-processing community. During the I960s and 1970s many business decision-makers became dissatisfied with the computer environment in which they were forced to work (management information systems). They demanded better access to modelling facilities and a greater degree of interaction with solution processes. Partly as a result of this dissatisfaction, decision support systems evolved from management information systems. Originating with seminal paper, the literature on decision support systems (DSS) is rich in both theory and applications (texts on DSS include Keen