Title: Cloud computing and DSS: the case of spatial DSS

Authors: Peter B. Keenan

Addresses: UCD Business School, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

Abstract: While academic researchers in the field of decision support systems (DSS) tend to emphasise the technology independent nature of the decision support concept, they also need to assess the role of new technology; cloud computing is one such new technology. This paper suggests that the specific nature of DSS means that cloud computing is of limited relevance in most sectors of DSS application. However, spatial DSS is a distinct area of DSS application where large volumes of generic data are needed from outside the organisation making the decision. Consequently, a number of issues arise in the provision of data for SDSS which are not typical of the DSS field. Spatial data infrastructure (SDI) projects provide large collections of spatial data and can make use of technologies such as cloud computing. This paper argues that cloud computing can contribute to spatial DSS applications which use these large data resources. Spatial DSS remains a form of DSS which continues to push the limits of technology and developments in this sector can inform our understanding of the progression of the DSS field.

Keywords: spatial DSS; decision support systems; SDSS; cloud computing; spatial data infrastructure.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIDS.2013.055926

International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences, 2013 Vol.5 No.3, pp.283 - 294

Published online: 28 Feb 2014 *

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