Advanced Decision-Oriented Software for the Management of Hazardous Substances: Part II: A Demonstration Prototype System

Fedra, K. (1986). Advanced Decision-Oriented Software for the Management of Hazardous Substances: Part II: A Demonstration Prototype System. IIASA Collaborative Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: CP-86-010

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Abstract

This report describes the implementation of a first demonstration prototype of an integrated, interactive, computer-based decision support and information system for the management of hazardous substances. Recognizing the potentially enormous development effort required and the open-ended nature of such a project, we have opted for a strategy that takes advantage of the large volume of scientific software already available. A modular design philosophy enables us to develop individual building blocks, which are valuable products in their own right, in the various phases of the project. This also makes it possible to interface and integrate the modules in a framework which, above all, has to be flexible and easily modifiable with growing experience of use.

The demonstration prototype can be constructed at relatively low cost and only incremental effort, by using an open architecture concept for this framework, with a functional and problem-oriented, rather than a structural and methodological design.

The system design combines several methods of applied systems analysis and operations research, planning and policy sciences, and artificial intelligence into one fully integrated software system. The basic objective is to provide a broad group of users direct and easy access to these largely formal and complex methods.

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