AFFOREST-sDSS

General System description

System name: AFFOREST spatial Decision Support System

Acronym: AFFOREST-sDSS

Brief overview

AFFOREST-sDSS deals with environmental performance of afforestation on agricultural land in northwestern Europe. This environmental performance is measured according to three parameters: carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, and nitrate leaching.

AFFOREST project logo

Scope of the system

This DSS arise from the EU-project AFFOREST. This is not an any nation project, but a supranational project, developed in partnership by researchers from Flanders (Belgium), the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.

AFFOREST-sDSS attends to evaluating the environmental impact of the afforestation process by comparing the environmental performance (EP) of the initial system, i.e. the agricultural land, with the EP of the same land after afforestation. There are considered 36 possible afforestation management practices; combinations of tree species choice, site preparation and thinning regime.

The environmental impact categories (EICs) under study are highly dependent on spatially variable site conditions, so this DSS was developed as a spatial DSS.

System origin

• Universities and research centres belonging to the EU-project AFFOREST
• At the start of the AFFOREST project, potential users (spatial planners active in national and regional administrations, afforestation policy planners and managers of afforestation projects) from the participant lands (Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Flanders) were consulted.
• It is free downloadable at the AFFOREST webpage
• <>does it have real-life application cases

Support for specific issues

Afforestation environmental impact through comparison of three measurements: carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, and nitrate leaching.

Support for specific thematic areas of a problem type

• Silvicultural
• Certification
• Conservation
• Restoration
• Development choices / land use zoning
• Policy/intervention alternatives
• Sustainability impact assessment (SIA)

Capability to support decision making phases

(NOTE I do not quite know what to do with this, as I do not understand it myself, although it seems related to system use)

(Click here to see a more detailed explanation)

• Intelligence (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)
• Design (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)
• Choice (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)
• Monitor (+ explicit description of the support given by the DSS)

Related systems

Describe (and/or link to) other systems related

Data and data models

Typical spatial extent of application

Depending on the AFFOREST-sDSS users needs (administration afforestation policy planners or local managers) there are two possible spatial scales for the application:

• a spatial resolution of 1 ha for a more detailed project planning level, and
• a spatial resolution of 1 km2 for policy planning at the regional scale.

However, if the input data are available or can be estimated with sufficient accuracy and precision, the integrated model can be operated at the first field scale.

Forest data input

Once the study area is defined, it is represented by an ArcView grid. Here, each pixel class of this grid is used as input. This input parameters are derived from soil and land use maps, and geo-referenced sets of data on precipitation and atmospheric deposition.

Type of information input from user (via GUI)

User can specify one of the fourteen type questions. These questions are the fourteen one-, two- or three-parameters combinations of four management specifications: initial system, afforested system/EP, afforestation strategy, and time. For each of these combinations asked, the remaining management specifications are required as input. Furthermore, the number of solutions depend on the size of the combination question, e.g. if only one parameter is asked, the three remaining are specified as input, and there would be only a possible solution for this sole parameter.

However, questions can be easily transformed to simple queries to the spatial database if only one of the EICs is of interest or if EICs are addressed as constraints or boundaries. If not, question leads to a complex query which needs the use of mathematical algorithms. In this case, goal programming with interval techniques are used.

Models

Forest models

AFFOREST-sDSS uses the Very Small Afforestation Model (VSAM) to calculate the parameters under study in the current and predict their value under future conditions. VSAM is further termed a metamodel, i.e. a model of models. VSAM capabilities have been limited, an it can here calculate: (1) carbon sequestration in biomass, (2) carbon sequestration in soil, (3) water infiltration, and (4) nitrate losses to deeper soil layers and groundwater.

Decision Support

Definition of management interventions

Decisions supported by AFFOREST sDSS are the selection of sites and the specification of afforestation practices and management, with a view to optimize one or more of the three studied environmental impact categories: carbon sequestration in the ecosystem including biomass and soil, groundwater recharge, and nitrate leaching to deeper soil layers and groundwater bodies.

Typical temporal scale of application

Tactical and strategic, policy planning.

Types of decisions supported

• Management level
  • strategic decisions
  • administrative decisions
  • operating control decisions
• Management function
• planning decisions
  • organizing decisions
  • command decisions
  • control decisions
  • coordination decisions
• decision making situation
  • unilateral
  • collegial
  • Bargaining / participative decision making

Decision-making processes and models

Simple SQL queries and goal programming (GP) with intervals for more complex queries.

Output

Types of outputs

According to the type of question asked by the user the result can either be maps, tables or both.

Spatial analysis capabilities

• integrated capabilities
• facilitates links to GIS (wizards, etc.)
• provides standard data import/export formats
• allows spatial analysis (e.g. topology overlays (e.g. multi layering of different maps, selection of objects based on selection criteria, aggregation by attributes (e.g. areas of similar characteristics), Linking by logical means, Statistics by area, analysis with digital terrain model)

Abilities to address interdisciplinary, multi-scaled, and political issues

AFFOREST-sDSS not only considers afforestation as a mean to yield timber and provide economic benefits, but also account for environmental parameters with increasing social significance.

System

System requirements

• Operating Systems: (Windows, Macintosh, Linux/UNIX, Web-based, Others)
• Other software needed (GIS, MIP packages, etc...)
• Development status

Architecture and major DSS components

The AFFOREST sDSS is implemented in the Spatial Analyst extension of ArcView® GIS 3.2. The standard version of ArcView® GIS 3.2 is adapted by means of its programming language Avenue.

The system consists of three different modules (a metamodel, a spatial database and a decision module) and the graphical user interface (GUI).

Usage

The envisaged users of AFFOREST sDSS are afforestation policy planners in national and regional administrations and local managers of afforestation projects.

Computational limitations

Describe the system limitations: e.g. number of management units, number of vehicles, time horizon

User interface

The GUI is a set of newly developed dialog windows that guide end users through the system and helps them to structure their afforestation question into one of the fourteen type questions the system can handle.

Documentation and support

Describe the connection to Help-system and possibilities for assistance, as well as the required training and user support levels

Installation

• Prerequisite knowledge: Level of effort to become functional
• Cost: (purchase price, development costs, demonstrated return on investment, cost of use, training costs, licence and maintenance costs)
• Demo: allows the download/utilization of a trial version. If yes, where is it available and what are the trial conditions.

References

External resources

• GILLIAMS, S., J. VAN ORSHOVEN, B. MUYS, H. KROS, G.W. HEIL et W. VAN DEURSEN (2005): AFFOREST sDSS: a metamodel based spatial decision support system for afforestation of agricultural land. New Forests, 30: 33–53.
• GILLIAMS, S., J. VAN ORSHOVEN, K. HANSEN, H. SKOV-PETERSEN et B. MUYS (2004): The AFFOREST-sDSS tutorial. K.U.Leuven, Laboratory for Forest, Nature and Landscape Research, Belgium and Forest & Landscape, Denmark.
• VAN ORSHOVEN J., S. GILLIAMS, B. MUYS, J. STENDAHL, H. SKOV-PETERSEN et W. VAN DEURSEN (2007): Support of Decisions on Afforestation in North-Western Europe with the AFFOREST-sDSS. Book chapter in HEIL, G.W., B. MUYS, et K. HANSEN (Eds.): Environmental Effects of Afforestation in North-Western Europe. Springer Netherlands.