Dr. Barry Wellar Professor Emeritus of Geography and Distinguished Geomatics Scientist,

Dr. Barry Wellar Professor Emeritus of Geography and

Distinguished Geomatics Scientist, Lab for Applied Geomatics and GIS Science

University of Ottawa,Program Director, Geography Awareness Week,

Canadian Association of [email protected]

http://www.wellarconsulting.com/

PowerPoint Slides for Keynote Address

GIS Day 2009

University of Ottawa

November 18, 2009

Slide 1

QUESTION: WHY DO WE NEED NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE FOR BETTER DECISIONS?

Answer: Because too often Decisions Based on the

“Anatomical Sourcing” Approach Fail the Logic Test.

Slide 2

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?YES, A FEW COME TO MIND

• End of oil

• Pandemics

• Climate change

• Rainforest destruction

Slide 3

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?AS DO A FEW MORE

• Toxic waste

• Urban sprawl

• Loss of habitat

• Holes in the ozone layer

Slide 4

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?AND A FEW MORE

• Auto industry

• Immigration levels

• Drought there and there

• Flooding here, here, and here

Slide 5

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?AND A FEW MORE

• Air pollution

• National security

• Solid waste disposal

• Threats to fish stocks

Slide 6

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?AND A FEW MORE

• Urban intensification

• Regional development

• Extreme weather events

• Threats to the boreal forest

Slide 7

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?AND A FEW MORE

• Infrastructure deterioration

• Interdependent infrastructures

• National high-speed rail system

• National spatial data infrastructure

Slide 8

DECISION PRESSURE POINTS?AND A FEW MORE

• Loss of prime agricultural land

• Need for alternative energy supplies

• Shift to more sustainable urban transport

• Water quality problems there, there, and there

Slide 9

PHRASES THAT ILLUSTRATE THE “ANATOMICAL SOURCING” APPROACH TO MAKING DECISIONS

Was that comment right off the top of your head?

I support this policy from the bottom of my heart!

I have a gut feeling about this LRT plan.

When asked questions she often gives off-the-cuff

opinions.

Slide 10

MORE PHRASES THAT ILLUSTRATE THE “ANATOMICAL SOURCING” APPROACH TO MAKING DECISIONS

Simple rule of thumb notions ignore reality.

The mayor is flying by the seat of his pants on this one!

That is another knee-jerk reaction based on ideology.

Are there people in that department who use their

brains before policies are adopted?

Slide 11

“ANATOMICAL SOURCING” Q&A

Question: Can the “Anatomical Sourcing” approach effectively deal with the challenges represented

by the decision pressure points?

Answer: On the evidence, only when our brains are fully engaged, and the other parts of the anatomy play little

to no role.

Slide 12

AS FOR “OUR” BRAINS, “OUR” INCLUDES

• Individuals and families

• Institutions

• Governments

• Corporations

• Advocacy groups

• Interest groups

• Professional groups

Slide 13

NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

This listing of the ways that GIS and GeoSkills contribute evidence pertinent to decision pressure points is illustrative.

1. Cartography2. Digital imaging3. Geographic field methods4. Geographic research methods5. Geographic research techniques6. Geomatics7. Geomodelling8. Geoscience methodology9. Geostatistics10. GIS applications

11. GIS fundamentals12. GIS principles13. GIS science14. GIS technology15. GPS applications16. Mapping systems17. Remote sensing18. Spatial analysis19. Spatial decision support systems20. Spatial synthesis

Slide 14

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYSTO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

Geography Awareness WeekApplied Geography Showcase

http://www.cag-acg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/Applied_Geography_Showcase.pdf

Slide 15

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYSTO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

Geography Awareness WeekGuide to Applied Geography Resources

http://www.cag-acg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/

GAW_2009_Guide_Applied_Resources.pdf

Slide 16

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

Geography Awareness WeekGeoSkills Showcase

http://www.cag-acg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/GAW2009_GeoSkills.pdf

Slide 17

Geography Awareness WeekGuide to GeoSkills Resources

http://www.cagacg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/

GAW_2009_Guide_GeoSkills_Resources.pdf

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

Slide 18

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

Geography Awareness WeekTheme Day Websites

Climate and Weather

WaterEnergy

TransportationFood and Health

http://www.cag-acg.ca/en/geography_week_2009.html

Slide 19

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

GIS Day Websites

http://www.cag-acg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/GIS_Day.pdf

http://www.esricanada.com/english/7301.asp

Slide 20

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

Professional organizations such as the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)

http://www.urisa.org/

Slide 21

WHERE TO FIND EXAMPLES OF NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE NEW EVIDENCE?

GIS Day Posters

The following URL illustrates how universities, colleges, and other academic institutions could make student

GIS Day posters available online.

http://www.geomatics.uottawa.ca/gaw09

Slide 22

FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVE BETTER DECISIONS?

Ask the pointed question:

What are the names of the

decision-making methodologies that you use when making decisions?

Slide 23

SECOND STEP TO ACHIEVE BETTER DECISIONS?

If an informed answer is not received,

repeat the question:

What are the names of the decision-making methodologies

that you use when making decisions?

Slide 24

THIRD STEP TO ACHIEVE BETTER DECISIONS?

Crank up the juice:

If you hear the Humma, Humma, Humma chorus instead of an informed answer, be ready with a list of names of decision methods and techniques to

raise the level of the discussion and apply pressure.

The following approach may be helpful.

Slide 25

“CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES YOU USE TO MAKE DECISIONS? PERHAPS THIS LIST MAY JOG YOUR MEMORY.”

Slide 26

1. Attitudinal Surveys2. Brainstorming3. Charrette4. Committee Approach5. Comparative Analysis6. Cost-Benefit Analysis7. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis8. Counterfoil Research9. Cross-Impact Analysis10. Econometric Analysis11. Expert Panels12. Focus Groups13. Forecasting Delphi 14. Highest and Best Use 15. Impact Assessment16. Indicators17. Indexing

18.Input-Output Analysis19.Life-Cycle Analysis20. Modelling21. Normative Delphi 22. Optimization Techniques23. Panel Evaluation24. Pilot Study25. Policy Delphi 26. Pre-Test27. Referenda28. Risk Assessment 29.Roundtables30. Scaling 31. Sensitivity Analysis32. Simulation33. Trial Run34. Workshops

GETTING OUR ACT TOGETHER:NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE BETTER DECISIONS?

Combine the ways that GIS and GeoSkills provide

evidence (Slide 14) with the methods and techniques

of rational decision making (Slide 26).

Slide 27

GETTING OUR ACT TOGETHER:NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE BETTER DECISIONS?

GIS and GeoSkills X

Decision Methods and Techniques

Slide 28

BETTER DECISIONS=

CHALLENGE 1 TO THE GIS AND GEOSKILLS COMMUNITIES:

Build a casebook demonstrating how GIS and GeoSkills are

combined with decision methods and techniques to

produce better decisions.

Slide 29

CHALLENGE 2 TO THE GIS AND GEOSKILLS COMMUNITIES:

Build a casebook demonstrating how GIS and GeoSkills could be

combined with decision methods and techniques to

produce better decisions.

Slide 30

CHALLENGE 3 TO THE GIS AND GEOSKILLS COMMUNITIES:

Build a casebook demonstrating how GIS and GeoSkills should be

combined with decision methods and techniques to

produce better decisions.

Slide 31

CLOSING COMMENT

The GIS and Geoskills communities have a distinguished record of

devising new ways to achieve new evidence for better decision

making. However, Canada faces a number of major social, economic,

environmental, governance, and other challenges, and few if any of

them are self-correcting. We have much good work yet to do.

LET’S GET IT DONE!!

Slide 32

REFERENCES and SOURCES 1

I wish to acknowledge the contributions made to this presentation by previous presentations and published reports. The following list identifies some of these

references, and includes the URLs for the convenience of readers who may wish to examine the original materials.

Wellar, B. 2006. Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): New Realities of Canada as an Emerging Information Society. GIS Day Keynote, University of Ottawa. http://www.slideshare.net/

Wellar, B. 2007. Sustainable Transport: Does Anybody Here Know How to Win This Game? Presentation to the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa. http://www.geomatics.uottawa.ca/docs/Kiwani_ST_laggiss.pdf Wellar, B. 2007. Making Weather Connections: From Science to Common Sense, and Public Lethargy to Activism . CMOS Lecture. http://www.slideshare.net/

Wellar, B. 2008. From NASA Satellite Images (1966) to Google Earth (2008):Geography, Geomatics and GIS Have Come a Long Way. Sigma Xi Lecture. http://www.geomatics.uottawa.ca/WellarPresentstheTriple.htm

Slide 33

REFERENCES and SOURCES 2

Wellar, B. 2009. Sampler of Commentaries on Methods and Techniques that Could be Used in Making Decisions about Identifying, Adopting, or Implementing Sustainable Transport Practices. Transport Canada Project, Research Report 3. http://www.wellarconsulting.com/

Wellar, B. 2009. Core Information Challenges and Opportunities, 2010-2020: Building on Strengths . URISA Annual Conference Keynote Address. http://www.urisa.org/annual/keynote

Wellar, B. 2009. Elements of a Framework for GeoSkills as the Focus of New Approaches in Applied Geography Education and Training. Wellar GeoSkills Lecture, University of Ottawa. http://www.slideshare.net/

Wellar, B. and W.L. Garrison 2009. Enriching Sustainable Transport Decisions: Inputs from Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Research Report. Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley, Institute for Transportation Studies. Posted at the eScholarship Repository, http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/reports/UCB-ITS-2009-1/

Acknowledgement. Thanks are given to Sam Herold for the graphics work.

Slide 34