07 - Geoinformation technologies in sustainable spatial planning a Geodesign approach to local land-use planning

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Geoinformation technologies in
sustainable spatial planning: a
Geodesign approach to local land-
use planning
Michele Campagna, Andrea Matta
Michele Campagna, Andrea Matta, "Geoinformation technologies in
sustainable spatial planning: a Geodesign approach to local land-use planning
," Proc. SPIE 9229, Second International Conference on Remote Sensing and
Geoinformation of the Environment (RSCy2014), 92290T (12 August 2014);
doi: 10.1117/12.2066189
Event: Second International Conference on Remote Sensing and
Geoinformation of the Environment (RSCy2014), 2014, Paphos, Cyprus
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Geoinformation technologies in sustainable spatial planning: 
a Geodesign approach to local land-use planning 
Michele Campagna*a, Andrea Mattaa 
aUniversità di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale e Architettura, 2 Via 
Marengo, 09123 Cagliari Italy 
ABSTRACT 
This paper presents a Geodesign tool supporting collaborative decision-making in Strategic Environmental Assessment 
of Local Land-use Planning. The tool consists of a Planning Support Systems implementing a spatial DPSIR model, 
which allows the real time interaction among plan alternatives design, impact evaluation and documentation. The 
Planning Support System demonstrates the opportunity for innovation in spatial planning, design and governance given 
by the availability of Spatial Data Infrastructures. The study proposed in this paper concerns the Sardinia (Italy) case 
study, but the results can be generalized to other regions in Europe and worldwide. 
Keywords: Spatial Data Infrastructure SDI, Planning Support Systems PSS, Geodesign 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The implementation of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC) is fostering the diffusion and development of Spatial Data 
Infrastructures (SDI) in Europe. A wealth of interoperable spatial and environmental data and services is given public 
access offering new opportunities and challenges for decision-making support in sustainable spatial planning. However, 
it is often still difficult for professionals and decision-makers to make value of geo-information resources in the practice. 
While, the introduction of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) (Directive 2001/42/EC) in spatial government 
calls for methodological and process innovation, the availability of digital spatial data may support innovation only if 
paired by the adoption of suitable methodologies and tools to support decision-making in spatial planning, design and 
governance. To address this issue, this contribution presents a Planning Support System (PSS) for SEA in Local Land 
Use Planning (LLUP) developed for the regional and local territorial governance in Sardinia, Italy. The PSS implements 
the concept of Geodesign according to which planning and design choices should be based on informed decision-making 
in order to ensure environmental sustainability of development. Accordingly, the PSS for SEA-LLUP in Sardinia makes 
value of the regional SDI digital data and services supporting interactive sketch planning and design, environmental 
impact assessment and reporting and collaborative decision-making. The core indicator framework of the PSS is the 
DPSIR (i.e. Driving forces, Pressures, States, Impacts, Responses), which is implemented on the base of the regional SDI 
geo-information resources. The paper, after reviewing recent advances in SDI and Geodesign, describes the architecture 
of the PSS and shows application examples on a Sardinian case study aiming at demonstrating the value of SDI in 
supporting SEA and sustainable spatial governance. The paper concludes with a discussion on the possibility of the 
application of the PSS to other regional contexts in Europe together with a critical assessment of the value of SDI in 
sustainable spatial planning. 
2. SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE IN EUROPE 
The early ideas on the concept of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) date back to the late Eighties as an innovative way to 
promote the use and reuse of digital spatial data. Since its early definition the concept of SDI is grounded on the 
assumption that the coordination and documentation of available resources would enable professionals and citizens to 
earn better access to spatial data for a variety of purposes so building added-value. Since then, the development and 
diffusion of SDI have been facilitated by a number of factors including the exponential increase in digital spatial data 
production, the adoption of common standard for Internet and the geo-information industry (i.e. ISO and OGC geospatial 
standards), and the acknowledgement of the role of knowledge in decision-making (e.g. Agenda 21) by the establishment 
(i.e. Bill Clinton’s Executive Order 12906 establishing the US National SDI in 1994 , and the ESDI strategy in Europe). 
Currently over 150 SDIs, many of which national in scope have been described in literature [1]. While SDI may vary in 
 
* campagna@unica.it; phone +39 070 675-5203; fax +39 070 675-5215; people.unica.it/campagna 
Second International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of the Environment (RSCy2014),
edited by Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Kyriacos Themistocleous, Silas Michaelides, Giorgos Papadavid,
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 9229, 92290T · © 2014 SPIE · CCC code: 0277-786X/14/$18 · doi: 10.1117/12.2066189
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Este artigo apresenta uma ferramenta de Geodesign para apoiar a tomada de decisão colaborativa na Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica do Planejamento Local do Uso da Terra. A ferramenta consiste em um Sistema de Suporte ao Planejamento implementando um modelo espacial DPSIR, que permite a interação em tempo real entre o design de alternativas do plano, avaliação de impacto e documentação.
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Para resolver esse problema, esta contribuição apresenta um Sistema de Apoio ao Planejamento (PSS) para AAE em Planejamento Local do Uso da Terra (LLUP) desenvolvido para a governança territorial regional e local na Sardenha, Itália. 
 
 
scope and architectural models they are usually defined as a framework of data, technology, policies, standards, and 
human resources, necessary to facilitate the sharing of spatial information: the latter objective is usually achieved 
through geoportals, one-stop-shop website where the user finds services for spatial data search, view, and download. 
However, it should be noted that spatial data accessibility should not be seen as disjoint by its re-use. This issue possibly 
inspired the definition of 1st generation of SDI – defined as above – and 2nd generation SDI which address the issue of 
fostering spatial data re-use adding on top of basic functionalities for data access, more sophisticated added-value 
services. As Craglia and Campagna [2] argued the level at which the greatest added value may be achieved is the 
regional or the local rather than the global or national ones for it may generate wider benefits for the regional socio-
economic systems and for the sustainability of development which is mainly enacted at that scale. 
The evolution of the European institutional debate on SDI led recently to the adoption of the Directive 2007/2/EC 
currently under implementation. The Directive establishes the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European 
Community (INSPIRE). According to the rules for the INSPIRE implementation the public authorities at national, 
regional and local levels in Europe should give access to their data resources complying with technology and data 
interoperabilityrules and standards. Each data themes should be maintained and updated at the most appropriate level. In 
Italy as in many other countries in Europe, the regional and the local levels have responsibilities for the creation and 
maintenances of spatial data at medium-large scale (i.e. >1:25/10.000). INSPIRE also prescribes the 34 data themes 
which should be shared. 
Along with the implementation of INSPIRE and in several cases even before INSPIRE was adopted in 2007 many 
regional governments in Europe were already working on the implementation of their Regional SDI [2]. Currently with 
the transposition of the INSPIRE Directive into the Member States national legislations a process started to ensure the 
RSDI compliancy with INSPIRE rules. 
The INSPIRE regulatory framework includes the so-called Implementing Rules, immediately binding technical 
regulations which define interoperability rules for the INSPIRE components (i.e. data, metadata and services). This 
implies that data are on the way to become interoperable horizontally and vertically across Europe. Most of the data 
themes concerned by INSPIRE are of great relevance for regional and local planning. As a matter of facts, in Italy many 
regional governments such as Lombardy, Tuscany and Sardinia among others already developed legislation to include 
the Regional SDI as mandatory enabling tools for spatial planning and governance. In all these cases the RSDI are the 
knowledge base to be used for spatial planning at the regional and local level. One important implication is that SDI 
implementing rules are eventually affecting the content and format of the planning knowledge in a European wide 
process. This issue which started to be addressed in Plan4All (http://www.plan4all.eu) an eContentplus EU project 
carried on by a consortium of 24 partners from 15 European countries, aiming at harmonizing spatial planning data and 
related metadata according to the INSPIRE principles, should be further analyzed to understand technical implications 
for the planning practice. 
Indeed, more research is needed in order to understand what the implications of the development of the SDI are in spatial 
planning and governance from more general perspective, including such issue as how far this process can bring 
innovation in urban and regional planning and possibly support a much higher achievement of sustainability objectives. 
The later issue is discussed in more details in the next paragraph. 
3. FROM SUSTAINABLE PLANNING TO GEODESIGN 
The concept of sustainability of development is a complex one for it entails, as expressed by the 27 principles of the Rio 
Declaration [3], many dimensions to be considered along with the development processes, which in turn should be 
democratic, environmentally savvy and based on informed decision-making. In Agenda 21 [4], two of its 40 chapters are 
specifically dedicated to the role of the scientific and technology community in sustainability and to the role of 
information in decision-making. These objectives found transposition in the European policies on environmental impact 
assessment. 
Strategic Environmental Assessment was introduced in Europe in 2001 with the Directive 2001/42/EC with the aim of 
providing high levels of protection of the environment and contributing to the integration of environmental 
considerations in plan-making, according to sustainable development principles. After a decade of its adoption the 
implementation of the SEA Directive is widespread in Europe. SEA can be defined as a structured, rigorous, 
participative, open and transparent environmental impact assessment based process, applied to plans and programs [5]. 
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Na Agenda 21 [ 4 ], dois de seus 40 capítulos são dedicados especificamente ao papel da comunidade científica e tecnológica em sustentabilidade e ao papel da informação na tomada de decisões. Esses objetivos encontraram transposição nas políticas europeias de avaliação de impacto ambiental.
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A Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica foi introduzida na Europa em 2001 com a Diretiva 2001/42 / CE, com o objetivo de fornecer altos níveis de proteção do meio ambiente e contribuir para a integração de considerações ambientais na elaboração de planos, de acordo com os princípios de desenvolvimento sustentável. Após uma década de sua adoção, a implementação da Diretiva AAE é generalizada na Europa. A AAE pode ser definida como um processo estruturado, rigoroso, participativo, aberto e transparente de avaliação de impacto ambiental, aplicado a planos e programas [ 5 ].
 
 
Nevertheless, concern is often raised about its actual efficacy with regard to its real capacity of informing decision-
making in the regional or local land-use planning process [6]. 
The term Geodesign has recently become popular among spatial planning and Geographic Information Science scholars 
as an approach to planning and design, which is deeply rooted in geographic analysis as decision-making support. 
Geodesign can be considered as a process including project conceptualization, analysis, projection and forecasting, 
diagnosis, alternative design, impact simulation and assessment, and which involves a number of technical, political and 
social actors in collaborative decision-making. As such it may constitute a promising approach in order to address 
current open issues in SEA, possibly bringing innovation in urban and regional planning. Steinitz [7] recently proposed 
an integrated Geodesign framework (GDF) for the implementation of the approach in urban and regional planning and 
design. The GDF consists of six types of models the implementation of which is carried on iteratively. The 
representation models answer questions about how the environmental system, or the landscape, should be described. 
Then the process and the evaluation models explain how the system is evolving and what opportunities and threats can 
be devised. Once the base knowledge is created it may be used to inform the design of possible solutions or alternatives 
with the change models, which are then assessed through impact models and eventually chosen with the decision models. 
This methodological framework may be implemented in many ways. One possible approach is to rely on integrated 
Planning Support Systems as described in the reminder of this paper. 
The concept of Planning Support System was firstly introduced by Britton Harris in 1989 [8]. In his seminal paper Harris 
gave two definitions of PSS: the first more conceptual defines a PSS as architecture for coupling a range of computer-
based methods and models into an integrated system for supporting the planning functions; more operationally Harris 
also defined a PSS as a user-friendly microcomputer-based planning system, which integrates GIS, sketch tools and 
spatial models. These early definitions, entailing the concept of what we can address as a 1st generation PSS, are still 
currently very actual and barely fully implemented in the practice. About a decade later, Klosterman [9] integrated the 
earlier PSS definition as an integrated information system, which couples GIS (and non-GIS) data, operational models 
and geo-visualization tools. From a different perspective Langendorf [10] proposes the more general concept of 
Information Workspace as the collection and organization of data and information from multiple resources for a 
particular (group of) person or task(s). This concept may be relevant here to explain the relationships between a PSS and 
the underlying SDI. In fact, the availability of spatial data from regional SDI enables the implementation of common 
spatial databases to support spatial planning at the local level in an integrated way. The presence of common regional 
regulation on spatial planning affects the contentsand format of the required knowledge to be expressed in the plan 
document as well as in the SEA environmental report. As it is discussed in more details in paragraph 4.5-6 the 
implementation of specific spatial models may support the correct implementation of regulations while supporting 
putting knowledge into action. 
More recent definitions of PSS stress the importance of the underlying theory and methods comprised in the architecture. 
According to Geertman and Stillwell [11] in a PSS planning-related theory should be the link to connect data, 
information, knowledge, methods and instruments in the form of an integrated framework with a shared graphical user 
interface. However the application of planning theory and methods in practice are dependent on contextual factors which 
may change substantially even in close or similar settings (i.e. different municipalities in the same region). The planning 
process is affected by the political style which determines the role of the actors, their mutual relationships and eventually 
the way knowledge is put into action [12]. Nevertheless, some common factors can be found within context or 
jurisdiction which includes i) common regulations which to some extent determine the role of actors, the plans contents 
and formats, and the way decision are taken; and ii) the average technical skills that may fall within measureable extreme 
within a given contexts. The latter may be measured in a given regional jurisdiction looking at professional planning 
curricula in local education institution, and at looking the local practices. Together the analysis of these two factors may 
contribute to gather a better understanding on how and why plans are generally made in a region, and how the planning 
process might be improved. Such an analysis may contribute to inform the design of added value services on top of SDI, 
which is the main aim of the project presented in this paper. 
4. THE SEA-LLUP PLANNING SUPPORT SYSTEM 
The core of the contemporary regional planning system in Sardinia, which is affected by recent development in the 
national one, is characterized by a Regional Landscape Plan (RLP) adopted for the first time in 2006. RLP defines 
protection rules for landscape safeguard and coordinates local development, and municipal land-use plans (LLUP), 
which implement the RLP policies at the local level. Both the RLP and the LLUPs should undergo Strategic 
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O termo Geodesign recentemente se tornou popular entre os estudiosos de planejamento espacial e Ciência da Informação Geográfica como uma abordagem para planejamento e design, que está profundamente enraizada na análise geográfica como suporte para a tomada de decisão. O design geológico pode ser considerado como um processo, incluindo conceitualização, análise, projeção e previsão de projetos, diagnóstico, design alternativo, simulação e avaliação de impacto, e que envolve vários atores técnicos, políticos e sociais na tomada de decisões em colaboração
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Como tal, pode constituir uma abordagem promissora para abordar as questões abertas atuais na AAE, possivelmente trazendo inovação para o planejamento urbano e regional.
- Coordinate reference systems
- Geographical names
- Adresses
- Administrative unis_
- Transport Network
Geographical grid systems
- Hydrography Boundaries -- Cadastral parcels -
- Protect Sites Transportation -
- Elevation
OrthOimages Elevation -
- Land Covers TmageryBaseldapsEarthCnner -- Geology
- Sea regions ` - - -- InlandWaters
- AgricueuralFacilities&Aquacuhure
sim
- Sod
- Facilities of Environmental Reporting
Natural risk zones
Statistical Unit Environment MI- AreahlanagementRestr .lReguZones &RepertingUnrts
Energy resources IntellIgenceMOtary -
- SernicesOfPublicUtdrty&AdnNnstration - UthMMSCommunication
- Human Health and Security - - Beach- Industrial Facilities and Production
- Mineral resources -- Economy
- Bic -geographical regions Biota- Habitats and biotopes - - -- - Structure
Species distribution - ClimatologytteteorologyAtmosphere -
Buildings
- Atmospheric conditions Society -
- Meteorological geographical features
Demography Oceans -
- Oceanographic oenoraphical features
Location -
Farming
C`ieoSCientificlnformation -
 
 
Environmental Assessment along their preparation. The RLP integrates the system of rules set by the regional planning 
regulations including well defined requirements with regards to the contents and formats of the planning information. 
Likewise, the guidelines issued by the Regional Government for the preparation of the SEA documents (i.e. the 
environmental report) also specify which indicators should be included, creating a framework for the knowledge base to 
be used for decision-making. 
The spatial governance of the Sardinian planning system is supported since the early 2000s by the Regional Government 
Geographic Information System. From the data and technology perspectives, the regional GIS can be considered a 
Regional SDI for it provides all the main SDI components required by INSPIRE. The Sardinian regional geoportal offers 
a spatial data catalog through which data can be searched and accessed via download or network services (i.e. Web 
Feature Services, WFS). The Sardinian Regional SDI (SRSDI) currently offers over 300 data layers, including vector, 
orthophotos and satellite images and high resolution Digital Elevation/Surface Models. Hence, the SRSDI offers 
unprecedented wealth of spatial information which can be used to support the application of Geodesign to address 
pitfalls in SEA-LLUP. 
In order to test the potential of the SRSDI as knowledge base for Geodesign, a Planning Support System prototype for 
SEA-LLUP has been implemented. The main features of the PSS are: 
1. Land Suitability Analysis: the PSS offers the possibility to implement land-suitability analysis [13] to support 
the design of alternatives (the discussion of which is out of scope in this paper); 
2. Sketch planning: the sketch planning interface thanks to a digital pen enables the planner to interact real-time 
with the design alternatives; 
3. Interactive impact assessment: the real-time impact assessment model based on a custom indicator framework 
(i.e. see next paragraph), calculates dynamically the impact indicators; 
4. Dashboard: the interactive dashboard gives a feedback visualizing real time the performance of the indicators; 
5. Automatic reporting: the system compiles predefined templates with the performance indicators to be included 
in the environmental report as required by the SEA guidelines. 
While the first functionalities are intended to support real-time planning collaboration and interaction among 
stakeholders, the latter one eases the creation of the output reducing the burden of editing the environmental report. The 
system has been implemented customizing commercial software to the Sardinian SEA-LLUP case studies. However its 
use arguably can be generalized to other European regions. In fact the indicator framework implemented for the case 
study relies on the use of the spatial data sources of the SRSDI, which in turn feature close relationships with the 
INSPIRE spatial data themes, as shown in the diagram in Fig. 1. The SRSDI spatial data themes in compliance with the 
technical rules for the National Spatial Data Repository (Ministry Decree 10.11.2011) are classified according to the ISO 
19115. 
 
Figure 1. Relationships between the INSPIRE and the SRSDI spatial data themes 
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Para testar o potencial do SRSDI como base de conhecimento para Geodesign, foi implementadoum protótipo do Planning Support System para o SEA-LLUP. Os principais recursos do PSS são:

1. Análise da adequação da terra: o PSS oferece a possibilidade de implementar a análise da adequação da terra [ 13 ] para apoiar o desenho de alternativas (cuja discussão está fora de escopo neste documento);

2. Planejamento de esboço: a interface de planejamento de esboço, graças a uma caneta digital, permite ao planejador interagir em tempo real com as alternativas de design;

3. Avaliação de impacto interativa: o modelo de avaliação de impacto em tempo real com base em uma estrutura de indicadores personalizada (ou seja, veja o próximo parágrafo), calcula dinamicamente os indicadores de impacto;

4. Painel: o painel interativo fornece um feedback visualizando em tempo real o desempenho dos indicadores;

5. Relatório automático: o sistema compila modelos predefinidos com os indicadores de desempenho a serem incluídos no relatório ambiental, conforme exigido pelas diretrizes da AAE.
 
 
4.1 Interactive Geodesign impact assessment with the DPSIR model. 
Environmental indicators provide information on complex issues in a simple way, representing phenomena feeds to 
various sources on different geographical scales. Nevertheless, the processes of indicators selection may be not 
straightforward. It can be considered as a relevant part of the design of the planning and design process, and a robust 
procedure to scientifically validate their choice should be applied. In fact, a reliable procedure of indicators selection 
may represent a better way to establish relationships among social and economic patterns and the environment 
supporting decision making process. 
Popular off-the-shelf PSS such as Criterion Inc.’s INDEX and Placeways LLC’s Community Viz, offer a complete suite 
of functions to calculate impact indicators. However, the set of indicators used for assessing the impacts of design 
alternatives is context and scale dependent and those readily available in the software may be not suitable for application 
in specific geographic contexts or planning scales. In Sardinia for example, regional planning regulations and official 
guidelines for SEA-LLUP require to implement specific sets of indicators that should be included in the impact study 
and documented in the Environmental Report (ER). Accordingly, for this case study it was chosen to rely on the 
application of the Driver -Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) indicator framework. 
The DPSIR is a flexible framework that can be used to assist decision-makers along the planning process. The DPSIR, 
initially developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [14], [15] was later adopted among 
others by the United Nations [16] and (2012) the European Environmental Agency [17] to study the interaction between 
natural and anthropic components of environmental systems. The DPSIR relies on the concept of causal chain in order to 
define a system analysis view of interactions among environmental system and human system [17], [18]. It represents a 
feedback loop controlling cycle interactions of five components to understand human-environment interaction processes 
[19]. 
The drivers represent the socio-economic sectors that fulfill human needs for food, water, shelter, health, security, or 
culture, which in turn generate pressures on the environment (i.e. consumption of resources, release of substances, land-
use changes, or hazard) causing changes in the state of the environmental system (i.e. physical, chemical or biological 
variables in the environmental system). The DPS causal chains represent the first framework stage called “causes” [19]. 
The causes feed Impacts which are evaluated with regards to changes in the state and the provision of ecosystem goods 
and services which are valuable for human-beings (e.g. provision of food and water, regulation of the quality of air or 
soils, protecting biodiversity and human health, or maintaining cultural identity or landscape values). Eventually, societal 
responses represent the policy options devised by the decision makers to deal with acknowledged issues (e.g. control 
drivers, limit pressures through regulations, prevention or mitigation, restore environment or improve carrying capacity). 
A number of applications can be found documented in literature about the application of the DPSIR framework to 
several sectors of physical planning such as the energy sector [20], fishery management [21], natural conservation [22], 
and environmental degradation [23]. With reference to land use planning, applications of the DPSIR framework are also 
found often requiring a big amount of data [24]. 
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides an online tool [16] as a tutorial to support the 
systems thinking in environmental impact assessment using the DPSIR Framework. The tutorial includes generic DPSIR 
models which can be customized to the case study at hand. The EPA tutorial may be of help in addressing the complexity 
of applying the DPSIR framework to spatial planning. More specifically the EPA supply a list of concepts and terms – a 
sort of ontology – of the DPSIR which has been used in the Sardinian SEA-LLUP case study, as shown in Figure 2 and 
described in more details in paragraph 4.6. 
Before the implementation of the conceptual DPSIR model to a specific case study in spatial planning, it should be noted 
however that another important issue should be addressed: the use of spatial indicators. In spatial planning and design the 
majority of information is spatial in essence for it involves the arrangement of objects and the patterns of environmental 
phenomena in space and time. Hence, in the next paragraph the spatial extension of the DPSIR model is introduced, 
before it is applied to the SEA-LLUP case study. 
 
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Loss of Landscape Value
Pollutants Concentration
variation Water Commotion
Land Development
Resource Consumption
Atnospneric Emission
Water Resources
Air &Climate
Sail & Erasion
Natural Naiads Protection
OPermitting/Waning
Landscape Restoration
City Planning
Protected Areas
Waste Management
Energy Management
(Decision Support&Pinning)
(Collaborotlon &Portnerinp)
D
 
 
 
Figure 2. Adaptation of the general EPA DPSIR model to the SEA-LLUP case study at the concepts level. 
4.2 The Spatial DPSIR model 
When dealing with physical development processes, the indicators to be used to represent past and current states and 
dynamics -as well as intended or possible changes- are inherently spatial (and temporal) in nature [25]. Therefore, the 
spatial distribution of geographic objects and pattern of environmental phenomena are likely to be influenced by spatial 
heterogeneity or differences, which in many cases deserve special attention. Hence, the spatial extension of such models 
or frameworks as the DPSIR, which describes the interactions and interrelationships among natural and anthropic 
environmental systems, may substantially improve their explanatory power and value for decision-making. 
A Spatial DPSIR (sDPSIR) model can be built implementing a DPSIR conceptual model in a Geographic Information 
System (GIS) [26]. As a matter of facts, GIS provides powerful tools to model, analyze and characterize in space and 
time processes and phenomena, and the DPSIR implementation in GIS environment could provide interesting solutions 
to address pitfalls and issues in urban and regional planning. However not many examples of sDPSIR were found in 
literature. 
The DPSIR framework can be implemented in GIS environment through overlay mapping building models to represent 
causal relationships. On the one hand, an sDPSIR can support the creation of an informative process about the 
environmental state, through indicators and maps. On theother hand, it can be used to evaluate effects of various impacts 
of human activities and choices, and to support the consequent societal responses design [26]. Both features are very 
relevant parts of a Geodesign process and the latter may be implemented interactively supporting sketch planning. As 
such an sDPSIR-based PSS can be used to support the Geodesign processes. The next paragraph proposes a pilot case 
study aiming at demonstrating these assumptions with the case study of SEA-LLUP. The case study also demonstrates 
how an sDPSIR can be built on top of regional SDI data, thus being replicable for all the municipalities within the 
regional coverage. 
In the sDPSIR many of the DPS components can (and they actually should if one would properly consider the planning 
regulations) be described by the RSDI spatial data themes. Each D - P - S component is represented by an indicator or 
combination of them in order to provide information about the system components and their relationships. At the same 
time this model can be used to populate SEA indicators, which in turn thus should become part of the model itself. This 
way it is possible to fulfil regulation and official guidelines requirements and to inform decisions interactively along the 
plan-making process. 
This first part of the causal chain (D-P-S) provides information about the study area through its components and other 
external themes defining the factors that affect the environment. In turn, issues may be evaluated through the I 
component through which the model provides the outputs (i.e. indicators, maps and report) based on analysis and 
relationships among the D – P – S components. On the base of the results of the impact assessment, is possible to define 
societal responses to mitigate risks and control current environmental processes which will become part of the plan 
options or actions. 
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MI Driving Forcel
I. Pressurel
. Statel
M Impactl
1.1 Responsel
M Driving Force2
M Pressure2
III State2
M Impact2
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The results of the R component are represented through maps and indicators in order to improve the communication 
process among stakeholders, technicians and politicians and should eventually be embedded in the plan alternatives after 
consensus is achieved and design decisions are taken. As a matter of facts, the solutions adopted in the R components 
back affects the D-P-S, leading to changes in the (planned) State. At this point, the first framework iteration is completed 
and each DPSIR component has been created and evaluated. According to the concept of DPSIR framework is then 
possible to iterate the process considering the new Driving Forces and Pressures generated by societal responses (i.e. the 
plan scenarios or alternatives) and to evaluate their efficiency and impacts. The two iterations of the sDPSIR are shown 
in the diagram in Fig. 3 with regards to the Geodesign models. 
Each scenario represents a set of alternatives (i.e. the output of the change model in the GDF) that will be compared in 
order to produce knowledge about the impacts to be used in the decision model. The scenario comparison process should 
be seen as an important system to provide information about the plan policy options so improving the communication 
and negotiation process among elected representatives, stakeholders and possibly citizens. In the next paragraph, a 
practical example on the first DPS iteration is presented together with details about the sDPSIR model developed so far 
with the aim of demonstrating the above assumptions. 
 
Figure 3. Relationships between the sDPSIR and the Steinitz’s (2012) six Geodesign Framework models. 
4.3 The sDPSIR in SEA-LLUP 
If we accept the assumptions discussed earlier in this paper, that the SEA-LLUP should be developed according to a 
Geodesign approach, the sDPSIR, as a decision-making support tool, should comply with the six GDF models. In turn, 
applying the GDF to the SEA-LLUP entails to comply with content and format requirements given by local regulations. 
According to the Regional Planning Law n. 45/1989 (RPL) and in compliance with the Italian national regulatory 
framework, the LLUP plan-making process in Sardinia deals with the location of protected areas and of new 
development zones (i.e. new residential areas in the following examples) for which implementation rules should be also 
designed, and infrastructures. Hence, in the first instance the essence of the LLUP is represented as a zoning map and by 
the network infrastructure. Moreover, according to the RPL sustainability measures for development should be set with 
regards to the environmental framework. The latter mandatory requirement, which in the past has been barely fulfilled in 
the practice, has nowadays gained new attention due to the recent introduction of SEA for land-use plans. In turn, 
regional SEA regulation and guidelines for LLUP require a complex system of indicators to be used to assess plan 
alternatives impacts and to be documented in the environmental report. Operationally it means that during the plan-
making process in the alternative design phase the change model should support interactive real-time evaluation of each 
option in an exploratory case. This may be considered not only a quantitative support (i.e. to design alternatives faster 
and with less costs) but also a qualitative improvement (i.e. a higher number of options can be considered interactively, 
which otherwise could not) which may inform the plan-making process. 
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With these assumptions in mind, the sDPSIR model was implemented in the SEA-LLUP PSS enabling to interactively 
hand sketch with a digital pen new development zones and infrastructures (i.e. the drivers) and immediately evaluate 
pressures and changes in states. In Table 1, the DPS causes of the model introduced in Fig. 2 and implemented so far are 
described in more details. The shaded cells in Table 1 highlight the D and S shown as an example in Fig. 4, which 
illustrates the PSS implementation where to the sketch of a new low-density residential development area (lower left 
frame) corresponds the real-time calculation of its performance and impacts (right frames). 
 
Table 1. Adaptation of the general EPA DPSIR framework (http://www.epa.gov/ged/tutorial/) to the SEA-LLUP sDPSIR. 
Drivers 
Sub Categories Concept Sub Concept Plan option Unit 
Human Needs Shelter Housing Residential Area km2 
Infrastructure Civil Engineering Land-Based Civil Engineering Roads km 
Pressures 
Landscape Change Land Development Reduction Natural Area Loss of landscape value % - km2 
Landscape Change Land Development Reduction Natural Area Land-use changes % - km2 
Consumption Resources Consumption Water Consumption Water Consumption cm/ inhab./Y 
Discharge Atmospheric Emission Traffic Emission Pollutants g/km 
States 
Biological State Living Habitat Natural Area Loss of landscape value Δ% -km2 
Biological State Living Habitat Area Land-use changes Δ % -km2 
Abiotic State Physical Variables Water Gross Water Consumption Δ cm/YAbiotic State Chemical Variables CO2 Gross Pollutants emissions Δ% - g/km 
 
 
Figure 4. The Sardinian SEA-LLUP PSS: interactive sketch planning (left) and sDPSIR dashboard (right). 
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Figure 4 (right) reports the charts of the PSS real-time interactive dashboard for all the relevant indicators in the example 
of the Housing DPS causal chain. The input for the indicator calculations is partly given interactively by the planner by 
sketch planning (i.e. a new residential area in the example) and partly by the RSDI spatial data layers (i.e. land use cover 
or landscape value spatial data themes) included in the sDPSIR model. Likewise the design of new roads activates the 
implementation of the Infrastructure DPS chain. This examples demonstrates thanks to the integration of the sDPSIR 
model the application of the features 2-to-4 of the PSS introduced at the beginning of this section. 
5. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH 
This paper presents early developments of a Strategic Environmental Assessment of Local Land-use Planning Support 
System implemented for the regional case study of Sardinia, Italy. In a context such as Sardinia where geo-information 
technologies are barely used in the local planning practice, this prototype shows how value can be added to the 
availability of the Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure to support sustainable spatial governance in the region. 
The SEA-LLUP PSS project thanks to the implementation of an sDPSIR model enabled the customization of off-the 
shelf software to a regional case study. The PSS can be applied to any municipality in the region, and it can be easily 
adapted to other regional contexts in Italy and in Europe. The sDPSIR model for SEA-LLUP is still in its early 
development, but further DPSIR causal chains are currently under implementation by the authors. Further developments 
of this research project also include the study on an enhanced sDPSIR [27] model which based on spatial overlay and 
GIS modeling functions may take into account inter-relationships among indicators and causal chains. 
The SEA-LLUP also contributes to demonstrate a possible way to implement the Geodesign approach in the practice. In 
fact, the implementation of sDPSIR in the PSS is strictly related to the definition of the Geodesign framework models 
enabling to inform the design of land-use zoning alternatives and to interactively evaluate changes and impacts in the 
territorial system. 
 
 
 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
The work presented in this paper was developed by the authors within the research project “Efficacia ed efficienza della 
governance paesaggistica e territoriale in Sardegna: il ruolo della VAS e delle IDT” [Efficacy and efficiency of 
landscape and environmental management in Sardinia: the role of SEA and of SDI] CUP: J81J11001420007 funded by 
the Autonomous Region of Sardinia under the Regional Law n° 7/2007 "Promozione della ricerca scientifica e 
dell'innovazione tecnologica in Sardegna". A.M. has contributed to this work in the framework of the International PhD 
in Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of Cagliari. 
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