DECISION-SUPPORT ON DEMAND - EMERGING ELECTRONIC MARKETS FOR DECISIONTECHNOLOGIES

For the individual or organization wishing to employ a scientific appr oach in solving decision problems, there is a plethora of relevant con cepts, methods, models, and software. Yet, relative to their potential or to peer software such as database technologies, decision technolog ies are little used in real-world decision making. We argue that at le ast some of the problems that restrict the use of decision technologie s are rooted in the use of conventional market mechanisms to distribut e them. We propose the development of electronic markets for decision technologies, and explain how features of modem information networks o ffer a solution to these problems. We present a framework for comparin g alternative electronic markets for decision technologies, survey and analyze several such emerging markets, and present some details on ou r own research initiative - DecisionNet, A distinctive feature of Deci sionNet is that it consists of software agents that perform - at the m arket level - functions (such as user accounting, billing and setting up the interface to a decision technology) that would otherwise need t o be developed for each consumer, provider, or technology.