Soft computing logic decision making in strategic conservation planning for water quality protection

Abstract

Abstract The goal of this paper is to present a methodology for professional evaluation, comparison and selection of alternatives in conservation planning and related areas. Our decision methodology is based on soft computing and consistent with observable properties of human reasoning. Main topics that we cover include the presentation of the LSP (Logic Scoring of Preference) decision method, the analysis of benefits that soft computing graded logic provides in comparison to traditional oversimplified additive weighed scoring models, and a detailed presentation of the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative in North Carolina, which is a real-life decision project in landscape planning and strategic conservation, based on our proposed methodology. In addition, we also present results of using decision support software tools that are necessary for the development and use of decision criteria. Our methodology and results are applicable in a wide variety of areas, including ecology, open space management, urban planning, geographic information systems, and decision making in agriculture. Keywords LSP method Strategic conservation Suitability analysis Multi-criteria decision making Graded logic Simple additive scoring Landscape planning Water quality protection GIS