A SWOT Analysis of Planning Support Systems

Guido Vonk, Stan Geertman and Paul Schot
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Guido Vonk: Urban and Regional Research Centre, Utrecht and Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Stan Geertman: Urban and Regional Research Centre, Utrecht and International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, PO Box 6, 9500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands
Paul Schot: Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands

Environment and Planning A, 2007, vol. 39, issue 7, 1699-1714

Abstract: Insight into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of planning support systems (PSS) is fragmented between users and system developers. The lack of combined insights blocks development in the right direction and makes potential users hesitant to apply PSS in planning. This study presents SWOT of PSS from a combined user–developer perspective. We first express them in terms of combinations of planning task, PSS information function, and user, and subsequently use a literature survey, a series of interviews, and a web survey to gather views from developers, users, and PSS experts. The analysis shows that planners mainly use simple information storage and retrieval systems for exploration tasks, while the majority of PSS are technically much more advanced and aim to support complex tasks. The potential of these advanced PSS can only be realized if planners and system developers start to share knowledge and demands and identify opportunities in a cooperative PSS-development process. Without such a process, the advantages and opportunities of PSS will remain unexploited.

Date: 2007
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:39:y:2007:i:7:p:1699-1714

DOI: 10.1068/a38262

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