Decision support system in GIS
Problem statement -
Develop a decision support system tailored for public users in Medak district, empowering them to make well-informed choices regarding tree species and crop plantation in their local area. Users have the flexibility to designate a specific point, boundary line, or an entire polygonal region. Leveraging diverse datasets on soil and weather conditions for the selected location, the application will recommend the most suitable tree species. The system's knowledge base is sourced from government departments, with agronomists having access to continually enhance the models, ensuring users receive up-to-date information.
Develop a decision support system tailored for public users in Medak district, empowering them to make well-informed choices regarding tree species and crop plantation in their local area. Users have the flexibility to designate a specific point, boundary line, or an entire polygonal region. Leveraging diverse datasets on soil and weather conditions for the selected location, the application will recommend the most suitable tree species. The system's knowledge base is sourced from government departments, with agronomists having access to continually enhance the models, ensuring users receive up-to-date information.
In addition to these fundamental features, users can seamlessly switch to the Telugu language and access real-time weather data for their desired location. The system incorporates various functionalities designed for administrative purposes.
The Decision Support System (DSS) developed under Forest-PLUS 2.0 can help to make decisions on afforestation, reforestation and sustainable land use management with a focus on conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services. The DSS involves a web-based and easy to use platform, integrated with relevant geospatial layers, ecological attributes and management techniques for both forestry and non-forestry users. This tool can not only help enhance the forest health but can also enable foresters and land-use managers to gather multifunctional knowledge about the status of forests and associated Ecosystem services for planning and management.
DSS follows a modular architecture that encompasses an information management module consisting of a web GIS platform and data repositories. The platform organises, analyses and simulates administrative, bio-geographic, climatic, thematic land cover and forestry inventory data. The web GIS platform has geodatabase and several server functions (modules) and works on open-source geospatial libraries and programs to support storage, management of data (forest types, density, land use and land cover, topography, wetland, surface and groundwater level, soil type, climatic variables etc.) and data visualisation. Various geospatial layers have been integrated using regression and other algorithms as appropriate for the development of interface so as to target different kinds of ecosystem services. The system works on a 3-tier structure with parallel processes of data management, data processing for the applications and data presentation.
