Visualisation: An Approach to Knowledge Building

The chapter proposes the use of the Interactive Visualisation Tool (InViTo) as a method for sharing information by using spatial data visualisation, also known as geo-visualisation, applied to support spatial decision making and planning. InViTo is based on the idea that interacting with data can improve the users knowledge process, while visualisation should contribute to increase intuitive perception. Therefore, through the interactive and visual exploration of geo-referenced data, participants to spatial processes are supported to evaluate strategies and objectives for several alternative development options. The visual system works both on two-dimensional and three-dimensional views, so as to better meet users' skills in interpreting images. InViTo has been used in different applications, with diverse purposes and spatial scopes, showing its effectiveness in creating a common language among the involved actors and enabling discussions on spatial developmen

An Integrated Approach for Supporting the Evaluation of Transport Scenarios: The Area of Bellinzona (CH)

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a widely-used tool to support decision processes when a choice between different options is needed. This approach is particularly useful in situation characterized by an inter-connected range of environmental, social and economic issues. Moreover the presence of many actors with different backgrounds and knowledge constitutes a further level of complexity due to the difficulty in interpreting and reading outputs. The present application is one response to tackle these difficulties. It is an innovative approach integrating Analytic Network Process ANP) and Interactive Visualization Tool (InViTo) which creates a common language among the actors involved and a shared basis for generating discussion. The methodological framework is applied to a Swiss section of the transport corridor Genoa—Rotterdam, within the Interreg IVB NWE Project ‘‘Code24'' in order to demonstrate the potential of the 24 joint use of the two tools mentioned for the selection of a suitable strategy for transport improvement within territorial transformatio

Exploring the affordances of collaborative problem-solving technologies in the development of European corridors

Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) technologies are increasingly being used to support spatial planning processes. Despite these advances, published accounts of their use have largely failed to explain if and how uses of these technologies differ from other forms of spatial planning support. In this chapter, we adopt an affordance perspective to examine how the material features of CPS technologies can support stakeholder interactions. We illustrate our theorising by offering an empirical case vignette of the application of InViTo, a particular CPS technology designed and used to support the planning of Eurocorridor 24, which is now called the Rhine-Alpine Corridor. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of adopting an affordance lens for assessing the current use of CPS technologies in spatial planning processes. Directions for future research are also proposed

Integrating multicriteria evaluation and data visualization as a problem structuring approach to support territorial transformation projects

Large freight or passenger transport projects are problematic and controversial because many financial, technical, environmental and social aspects need to be considered. Indeed, the interface between the transport project and territorial planning domains is generally the focus of considerable heated debates, which often develop into conflicting decision contexts characterized by a high level of complexity. This paper presents a possible response to these difficulties through an innovative approach that integrates the analytic network process and the interactive visualization tool. The approach is intended to be deployed as problem structuring method, with a view to creating a common language for the actors involved and a shared basis for generating fruitful discussions. The proposed approach was applied in the context of the German section of the Genoa–Rotterdam railway corridor within the Interreg IVB NWE Project ‘‘Code24’’. The reported application shows how the combination of visualization and real-time interaction with spatial data provided effective decision support to a multinational stakeholder group. More generally, the application presented in this paper aims to demonstrate the potential of the approach for the selection of a transport improvement strategy within the content of territorial transformation

Integrated sustainability assessments: a spatial multicriteria evaluation for siting a waste incinerator plant in the Province of Torino (Italy)

The present paper proposes a spatial multicriteria approach for supporting decision makers in the siting process of a waste incinerator plant in the Province of Torino (Italy). Municipal solid waste management is an intrinsically complex problem because it involves different interconnected elements and must achieve objectives that are often in conflict. Given the spatial nature of the problem, a useful support is provided by a family of methods that are rapidly gaining traction for planning and policy-making, named multicriteria spatial decision support systems, which are based on geographical information systems and multicriteria analysis coupling. In the present study, a methodological framework is proposed for the integration of geographical information systems with a specific multicriteria analysis technique, named Analytic Network Process. The method is illustrated with reference to a case study in the Province of Torino. The purpose of the research is to generate a suitability map of the area under analysis in order to locate a municipal solid waste incinerator plant. The application allows the dependence relationships between the criteria to be assessed and the relative importance of all the elements to be evaluated. The results are obtained in the form of maps analyzed through the ILWIS 3.3 GIS software and have been further verified through a "what-if" analysis with reference to the clusters priorities in order to test the robustness of the model. The implementation of the spatial Analytic Network Process technique gives an originality value to the present research since it represents one of the first applications at both the national and international level