Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program

Decision Support Lab Implementation,
Alicia Torregrosa, Western Geographic Science Center (CA, NV)

Communities across the nation have a strong need to resolve land use conflicts. Coupled with this need is the growing awareness of the complexity and interdependencies of our natural and social systems. This has led to an unprecedented interest in multidisciplinary collaborations between decision-makers, citizens and scientists. The concept of the decision support lab is being implemented as a computer based “space” in which decision-makers can get a better view of what their potential choices look like on the map, both as geo-spatial representations and scenarios over time. Participants interact directly with each other and build scenarios to represent their choices. Currently the decision support lab is being prepared for two sets of decisions. The first involves delineating the urban watershed of San Francisquito Creek. Strong citizen involvement and concern about repeated flood damage has generated support for a Joint Powers Authority sponsored by the 6 cities, 2 counties, and 2 flood control districts. The delineation will assist with efforts to compare and contrast options and costs (and potentially fiscal responsibility) for flood control. The second decision involves defining a threshold of development based on a constrained optimization of sediment input to Tahoe Lake for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, a congressionally-legislated compact signed by the governors of California and Nevada.