Development of a spatial decision support system for land-use suitability assessment : the case of complex tourism accommodation in Greece

Land-use suitability assessment necessitates the analysis of multiple parameters as well as the compliance with the legal framework, the priorities, and the beliefs of all stakeholders involved in forming and implementing spatial policies. The approach followed in this paper is based on combining Ontologies, GIS and Object-oriented programming, to develop a SDSS capable of supporting decision-making in land-use planning. The applicability of the system is demonstrated using the case-study of a Greek island. The proposed approach promotes the integration of modern technologies into the processes of spatial planning and enhances the strong trend towards using the benefits of knowledge-management in decision-making.