IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envira/v41y2009i1p63-81.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Computer-Supported Cognitive Mapping for Participatory Problem Structuring

Author

Listed:
  • Frank van Kouwen
  • Card Dieperink
  • Paul P Schot
  • Martin J Wassen

Abstract

The environmental management and planning community is struggling with a gap between knowledge and policy making. To bridge this gap, ‘decision support systems’, ‘planning support systems’, and other computer tools have been developed to make knowledge about complex issues more accessible for policy makers. However, the use of these systems in practice is limited. One major reason for this is that these systems are designed for well-defined problems, whereas in practice there is often a lack of stakeholder consensus on the problem structure. The aim of this paper is to present, and explore the potential of, a new approach for decision and planning support. The Quasta tool aims at facilitating participatory problem structuring through computer-supported cognitive mapping. The tool, allowing qualitative exploration of scenarios and simultaneous forecasting and backcasting, is tested in four participatory problem-structuring workshops, in which various environmental issues have been discussed. Evaluations of these workshops show that this approach (1) helps stakeholders to become aware of causal relationships, (2) is useful for a qualitative exploration of scenarios, (3) identifies the need for further (in-depth) knowledge, and (4) has a low threshold for nontechnicians.

Suggested Citation

  • Frank van Kouwen & Card Dieperink & Paul P Schot & Martin J Wassen, 2009. "Computer-Supported Cognitive Mapping for Participatory Problem Structuring," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(1), pages 63-81, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:41:y:2009:i:1:p:63-81
    DOI: 10.1068/a4099
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a4099
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/a4099?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eden, Colin, 2004. "Analyzing cognitive maps to help structure issues or problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(3), pages 673-686, December.
    2. M. Shamim Khan & Mohammed Quaddus, 2004. "Group Decision Support Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Causal Reasoning," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 13(5), pages 463-480, September.
    3. Judith Petts & Catherine Brooks, 2006. "Expert Conceptualisations of the Role of Lay Knowledge in Environmental Decisionmaking: challenges for Deliberative Democracy," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(6), pages 1045-1059, June.
    4. Wellman, Michael P., 1994. "Inference in cognitive maps," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 137-148.
    5. Fran Ackermann & Colin Eden, 2005. "Using Causal Mapping with Group Support Systems to Elicit an Understanding of Failure in Complex Projects: Some Implications for Organizational Research," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 355-376, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jolanta Poplawska & Ashraf Labib & Deborah M. Reed, 2017. "From vicious to virtuous circles: problem structuring for quantified decision making in operationalization of corporate social responsibility," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 68(3), pages 291-307, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. G Montibeller & V Belton, 2006. "Causal maps and the evaluation of decision options—a review," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 57(7), pages 779-791, July.
    2. Frank van Kouwen & Carel Dieperink & Paul P. Schot & Martin J. Wassen, 2007. "Interactive Problem Structuring with ICZM Stakeholders," Working Papers 2007.52, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    3. van Kouwen, Frank & Dieperink, Carel & Schot, Paul P. & Wassen, Martin J., 2007. "Interactive Problem Structuring with ICZM Stakeholders," Natural Resources Management Working Papers 9555, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    4. G Montibeller & V Belton & F Ackermann & L Ensslin, 2008. "Reasoning maps for decision aid: an integrated approach for problem-structuring and multi-criteria evaluation," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 59(5), pages 575-589, May.
    5. Rodrigues, Teresa C. & Montibeller, Gilberto & Oliveira, Mónica D. & Bana e Costa, Carlos A., 2017. "Modelling multicriteria value interactions with Reasoning Maps," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 258(3), pages 1054-1071.
    6. Igor Pyrko & Colin Eden & Susan Howick, 2019. "Knowledge Acquisition Using Group Support Systems," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 233-253, April.
    7. Montibeller, Gilberto & Belton, Valerie, 2009. "Qualitative operators for reasoning maps: Evaluating multi-criteria options with networks of reasons," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 195(3), pages 829-840, June.
    8. R Volkema, 2009. "Natural language and the art and science of problem/opportunity formulation: a transportation planning case analysis," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(10), pages 1360-1372, October.
    9. Marchant, Thierry, 1999. "Cognitive maps and fuzzy implications," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(3), pages 626-637, May.
    10. Marilena - Aura Din & Cristina Coculescu, 2015. "Modeling Of Urban Policies For Housing With Fuzzy Cognitive Map Methodology," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 9(2), pages 276-290, December.
    11. Meri Duryan & Dragan Nikolik & Godefridus Merode & Leopold M. G. Curfs, 2015. "Reflecting on the efficacy of cognitive mapping for decision-making in intellectual disability care: a case study," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 127-144, April.
    12. Sonia Adam-Ledunois & Sébastien Damart, 2016. "The art of collective "making do"... When silos are gone!," Post-Print hal-01362382, HAL.
    13. Lami, Isabella M. & Tavella, Elena, 2019. "On the usefulness of soft OR models in decision making: A comparison of Problem Structuring Methods supported and self-organized workshops," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(3), pages 1020-1036.
    14. Martin J Wassen & Hens Runhaar & Aat Barendregt & Tomasz Okruszko, 2011. "Evaluating the Role of Participation in Modeling Studies for Environmental Planning," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 38(2), pages 338-358, April.
    15. Dimitrios Gouglas & Kendall Hoyt & Elizabeth Peacocke & Aristidis Kaloudis & Trygve Ottersen & John-Arne Røttingen, 2019. "Setting Strategic Objectives for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations: An Exploratory Decision Analysis Process," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(6), pages 430-446, November.
    16. Vieira, Fabiana C. & Ferreira, Fernando A.F. & Govindan, Kannan & Ferreira, Neuza C.M.Q.F. & Banaitis, Audrius, 2022. "Measuring urban digitalization using cognitive mapping and the best worst method (BWM)," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    17. Fabien Eymas & Faouzi Bensebaa, 2021. "Competitive strategies of entrepreneurs in the traditional service sector [Comportement concurrentiel des entrepreneurs du secteur des services traditionnels]," Post-Print hal-03960025, HAL.
    18. Fran Ackermann & Colin Eden & Igor Pyrko, 2016. "Accelerated Multi-Organization Conflict Resolution," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 901-922, September.
    19. Elena Tavella & L. Alberto Franco, 2015. "Dynamics of Group Knowledge Production in Facilitated Modelling Workshops: An Exploratory Study," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 451-475, May.
    20. Eden, Colin & Ackermann, Fran, 2018. "Theory into practice, practice to theory: Action research in method development," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 271(3), pages 1145-1155.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:41:y:2009:i:1:p:63-81. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.