Spatial Thinking in Planning Practice: An Introduction to GIS

55 CHAPTER 10: THE FUTURE OF GIS Planning support systems (PSS) emerged in the 1980’s to include a widely set of computer-based tools provid- ing ‘strategic support’ to urban planners. By the 1990’s with the availability of GIS PSS displaced the more rigid “systems planning approach” and were widely used in most of the stages of the technical planning processes. Currently PPS are applied to several and diverse planning proposes mostly because of three aspects related to the transformation of the urban planning !eld: (i) into a more fragmented and pluralistic !eld; (ii) from a rigid professionalism to collective negotiation, where the processes of communication to inform has become crucial; and (iii) widely access to a diverse and constantly evolving computer technologies, through the internet and the open source movement. Among these new generic (GIS so$ware, build in modules) and specialized ‘planning tools’ technologies are: (i) hardware able to process increasing amounts of data; (ii) convergence of computers and communications; (iii) new powerful microprocessors; (iv) computer simulation models (agent-based, disaggregated) with three dimen- sional visualization displays; (v) ability to communicate and interact among computers and participants using visualization technologies (e.g. virtual reality theaters allowing public interaction). Visualization and communication technologies revolve around interactivity using the Web. "e Web is orga- nized into four general styles: (i) vanilla-style Web pages that present information to users with no interactivity other than hyperlinking; (ii) Web pages that enable users to download data and so$ware to their desktops; (iii) Web-pages enabling users to run so$ware within their own Web; and (iv) Web-pages enabling users to import their own data and run so$ware remotely. "ere are also ‘collaboratories’ (online systems remotely linked that enable users to communicate with one another and run so$ware jointly), which are growing in popularity. Although we are in the midst of a fragmentation of PSS tools, we can classify them into: (i) those serving the technical planning process (e.g., problem identi!cation, goal setting, etc.); (ii) processes focus on providing opportunities for public participation (e.g. PP-GIS, 3-D virtual city models); (iii) those related to tasks (observ- ing, measuring, predicting, etc.) related to how the city system is represented and manipulated (e.g., modeling and simulation). Among the computer packages developed to do it are: GIS, land use transportation models (LUTM), multi-criteria analysis (MCA), What if/; (iv) !ne scale disaggregated models (agent based); (v) tools focus on either spatial/non-spatial analysis or general/specialist tasks; (vi) GIS toolbox (e.g., free mapping and visualization so$ware on the Web). Authors used three examples to illustrate many of the features and characteristics of the PSS: (i) long term fore- casting: visualizing land use and transportation scenarios in the Greater London, through modeling (ii) Immedi- ate forecasting at the local level: visualizing the impact of air pollution using a virtual city model for the Greater London; and (iii) Describing and exploring spatial data: tools to enhance the understanding of urban problems. Planning support systems (PSS) usually refers to a computer-based system that can integrate spatial mapping, analysis and visualization, and further lead to operational and meaningful public decision making. "is intro- duction chapter in the book, which originated from a conference on PSS organized by Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, provide an overview of planning and decision support system. "is chapter highlights the movement of urban planning over the past decades from a top-down, ‘professionals know best’ attitude to a participatory approach involving a broad spectrum of citizens, interest groups, and public o&cials. Today planners and public o&cials interact with multiple communities and increasingly do so with digital technology. "erefore, the visual- ization of models and processes becomes the central part of planners’ toolbox. Read the book chapter