Optimization technologies and environmental applications

In this work, we focus on the interaction between optimisation technologies and the management of natural resources. In recent years, the environmental impact of planning decisions has received increasing attention, as negative effects on the ecosystem may affect production and consumption. Hence, there is a need to assess and quantify environmental services as well as environmental impacts, so that these can be included in the decision-making process. At the same time, recent trends in optimisation software and Internet technology have spawned a new research area in the field of distributed optimisation applications for several domains, including environmental management. We make use of the platform developed within the OSP CRAFT project, and implement an Internet-based Decision Support System (DSS), which embodies a land management stochastic programming model. The platform takes advantage of an Application Service Provision architecture, whereby decision makers are able to access the optimisation model and analyse its solutions on a subscription basis. In this framework, the remote DSS is easily interfaced with existing local repository of environment data, such as pollution measurements, soil and water resources information, as well as global GIS datasets. © 2002 Oxford University Press .