IDRC
-
Lib.
/d
4
4q
Workshop:
"DecisionSupport
Systems
for
Sustainable
Development:Software
Technology
for
Agenda
21"
The Workshop
"DecisionSupport Systems
for
Sustainable Development:Software
Technology
for
Agenda21"
has been
organized
by
UNU/IIST(UnitedNations University
/
InternationalInstitute
for
SoftwareTechnology,Macau) and IDRC(International
DevelopmentResearch
Centre, Canada)
in
Macau, 26 February
-
8
March
1996.
The
Macau Foundationand Macau Polytechnicsponsored some
events
of
theWorkshop.Forty
four
scientists from
21
countries attended the Workshop. The Workshopprogram included
invitedlectures,
casestudypresentations,round-table discussions
and
presentation
of scientific
papers. Good
workingatmosphere
and
very
high
scientific
level
of
mostpresentations were
matched
by
participants'involvement
in
discussions, hands-on laboratorysessions and planning
for future
collaboration.
A
position paperbased on plenary
discussions will
by
produced
by
the
end
of
April
and published
in
a
major
journal
concerning informationtechnology
in
development. Theposition paper will identify
main
issues
of
development
and
deployment
of
decisionsupport systems
in
developingcountries to improvedecisionmaking
in
suchareas as social services,
environmental protection,health services, naturalresources management.The
paper
endorsed
by all
participants willdiscuss the
roleand
contribution
of
informationtechnologyspecialists
in
implementation
of
Agenda
21.
The following post-workshopactivities are
being carriedout:
-
exchange
of
messages
on
the list
server (iist-uw@cousteau.uwaterloo.ca)
-
preparation
of
the position paper(Pat
Hall,
e-mail:
p.a.v.hall@open.ac.uk,
fax:
44-1908-552140),
- editing
of
a
DSS book (editors:
A.
Yeh,
G.
Kersten,
M.
Rais);
a
list serverwill
be
madeavailable
for
thecorrespondence regardingthe book at CarletonUniversity;
-
samplesoftware suite
for
DSS
development
(J.
G.
Krishnayya
e-mail:
jgk@soochak.ncst.ernet.in,
fax:
91-212-477902,
B.
Adams
e-mail:b.adams@facet.com, fax:1-604-739 7753);pleasesend
suggestions which freesoftware should
be
included
in
a
DSSsuite.Pleasesend
your comments
regardingpost-workshopactivities and new ideasto the listserver,
or specificactivity groupor
to
me (zmikolajuk
a idre.ca).Information,accesstoinformation,knowledge,development policyand
decision-makingare imminenttopics
in
discussions
on
sustainabledevelopment. Agenda
21
underlinesthe necessity
to
improvedecision-making
concerning economicdevelopment
and
environmental protectionat
local,
nationaland internationallevels.Decisionstaken
by
every
manand
woman, municipal
and
provincialauthorities,governmentdepartments,multinationalcorporations
and
internationalorganizations willdeterminethe realization
of
sustainabledevelopment. Agenda
21
calls
for
researchprogramsand implementation
of
informationsystems whichsupport decision-makingbased
on
sound information
and procedures.Globalsharing
of
knowledge,collaborationand coordination
of
decision-makingat
all
levelswill
need new
tools
and methods.
A
practical,and
in
my
opinion, critical issue
in
achieving sustainabledevelopment
is
howthe
wide rangeofdecisionswill
be
madeand coordinated
on localand
globalscales. Technicalaids areessential
for
both
information-
and
judgment-drivendecision-making. Interdependence
of
international,regionaland national
development,
poses
stronger
than
in
the
past,
requirementsforexchange
of
informationandsharing
of
knowledgeand coordination
of
actions.
Local,
as wellas global
factorsmust
be
taken
into
consideration
and
availableacademic
as
wellas traditionalknowledgemust
be
appliedto solvesustainabledevelopmentproblems.Computerizeddecision supportsystems,well integratedwithdecision-makingprocesses
and
valued
by
decision-makers,willcontribute
to
the implementation
of
objectives
of
sustainabledevelopment.
P
e.
r
N(ikv4it
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