A Study of Geographic Information Technology Use in Collaborative Water Resource Planning

利益相关者群体越来越多地参与解决空间决策问题，这产生了对能够支持协作空间决策的信息技术的需求。该项目的目标是更好地了解利益相关者群体如何使用地理空间技术来加强解决问题和决策的协作方法。这样的知识是必要的，以便开发地理空间技术支持工具，能够容纳参与解决基于位置的决策问题的不同参与者。该项目将采用实地实验的方法来研究地理空间信息技术支持下的协同工作和决策的动态。该实验将邀请真正的利益相关者参与爱达荷州西南部博伊西河流域水资源管理规划的现实决策问题。将使用两组，每组10名参与者：对照组将只接触传统的支持工具，如传统地图，而实验组将接触协作决策支持工具，如基于地理信息系统（GIS）的地图和三维可视化。实验过程中的人机交互过程将使用专业摄像机进行拍摄。一种被称为“交互编码”的经过测试的社会行为科学技术将被用于从实验中编译数据日志，并将使用探索性顺序数据分析技术来分析数据。参数和非参数统计程序将用于测试一些研究假设。随着利益相关者在土地利用、自然资源和环境决策中的参与越来越多，以开放的方式处理基于位置的决策问题变得越来越重要。加强利益相关者参与环境决策的主要理由是基于民主格言，即受决策影响的人应直接参与决策过程。预计项目成果将扩大有关地理空间信息技术对涉及不同利益相关者群体的协作决策过程的影响的知识。此外，该项目将有助于开发和分享对涉及地理信息系统、决策模型和小组协作支持工具的信息技术集成需求的更好理解。

The increasing involvement of stakeholder groups in solving spatial decision problems has created a need for information technology capable of supporting collaborative spatial decision making. The goal of this project is to develop a better understanding of how groups of stakeholders may use geospatial technology to enhance collaborative approach to problem solving and decision making. Such knowledge is necessary in order to develop geospatial technology support tools capable of accommodating diverse participants involved in solving location-based decision problems. This project will use a field experiment approach to study the dynamics of collaborative work and decision making supported by geospatial information technology. The experiment will involve true stakeholders invited to engage in a realistic decision problem of water management planning in the Boise River basin in southwestern Idaho. Two groups each with 10 participants will be used: the control group will be exposed only to traditional support tools such as traditional maps, whereas the experimental group will be exposed to collaborative decision support tools such as geographic information system (GIS) -based maps and three-dimensional visualizations. The human-computer-human interaction process during the experiment will be captured using professional video cameras. A tested social-behavioral science technique called "interaction coding" will be employed to compile data logs from the experiment and exploratory sequential data analysis techniques will be used to analyze the data. Parametric and non-parametric statistical procedures will be used to test a number of research hypotheses. Dealing with location-based decision problems in an open manner is becoming more important as stakeholder participation increases in land use, natural resource, and environmental decision making. The primary rationale for enhanced stakeholder participation in environmental decision making is based on the democratic maxim that those affected by a decision should participate directly in the decision making process. The project results are expected to expand knowledge about the impacts of geospatial information technology on collaborative decision processes engaging diverse groups of stakeholders. Moreover, the project will help develop and share a better understanding of the integration needs for information technology involving geographic information systems, decision models, and group collaboration support tools.