Geoinformation in support of decentralization and community empowerment

Abstract

The demand for spatial information in relation to decision-making can be considered from different perspectives. First and foremost, the process of making decisions requires information as an input. Decisions made in this manner are often referred to as informed decisions. The need for information in general and spatial information in particular can also be viewed from the point of view of impact. As is well known, decisions have a range of impacts. The impact of some decisions can be realized immediately. Other decisions may impact courses of action over medium to long time horizons. In all cases, the outcomes of decisions must be predicted, controlled and especially the long-term realizations the development process requires that the outcomes of decisions be monitored and evaluated. Once again, the support of spatial information is evident in monitoring and evaluating the impact of decisions or development processes. This is the reason why the increased need for spatial information is becoming a challenge for people who are involved in spatial data management.