CONSENSUS BUILDING MODEL TO SELECT CASIS IN SMALL COMMUNITIES

This paper examines: (1) The automated mapping/facilities management a nd geographic information system (AM/FM/GIS), which are called compute r-assisted spatial information systems (CASIS) in this paper, software selection process; (2) develops a knowledge-based, multiattribute, mu ltiobjective, consensus building model (CBM); and (3) establishes the validity for using the exogenously developed CBM for the selection of CASIS software. Model formulation is based on analyzing how well the a ttributes of the software meet user requirements in four areas: functi onality, technical capability, vendor characteristics, and costs. Expe rt knowledge was gathered from several domain practitioners regarding the ability of GIS software functions to fulfill a user's needs. Respo nses from those experts proved to have a high degree of consistency. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on the CBM, showing the model to b e stable in its predictions. The validity of the model's predictions w ere shown to be realistic in comparison to domain experts.