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

Authors: Boris Yatsalo; Terry Sullivan; Vladimir Didenko; Sergey Gritsuk; Alexander Tkachuk; Oleg Mireabasov; Valeria Slipenkaya; Irina Pichugina; Igor Linkov

Addresses: Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Brookhaven National Laboratory, Building 815, Upton, New York, USA ' Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Department of Information Systems, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, 249040, Russia ' Risk and Decision Science Focus Area Lead, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Concord, MA 01742, USA

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.

Keywords: spatial DSS; decision support systems; web-based SDSS; WebSDSS; multicriteria decision analysis; MCDA; geographic information systems; GIS; environmental risk management; countermeasures; optimisation; land management; decision evaluation; complex risk networks; land use planning; modelling; model integration; land contamination; Chernobyl; nuclear accidents.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2012.051254

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2012 Vol.16 No.4, pp.175 - 198

Accepted: 18 Apr 2012
Published online: 29 Oct 2014 *

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