GIS-Based Decision Support System for Village Level: A Case Study in Andhra Pradesh

Importance Of Dss At Village Level

Geographical information system (GIS) has been developing at a remarkable pace over few decades and plays a vital role in development of nations in the 21^st Century. Decentralized planning in India is still in the stage of experimentation. Now it’s time for planners and decision makers to discuss the importance of GIS technology and its applications in rural development (Reddy et al, 2011). So there is a need for spatial DSS and its demand is likely to grow. In India 27% of the population resides in urban areas and 73% of population settled in rural area, a proper structured planning procedure is essential such that the infrastructure facilities and development activities are available at both rural and urban area. Since majority of population settled in rural areas are provided with the least infrastructure facilities, creates a regional imbalance in development, that cause migration of people from rural to urban areas. Selwal, 2008 addressed that existing systems make decision making for village developments manually based on information recorded on papers. Such manual process consume time and inefficient to take decision regarding further developments. Previously, lack of proper land records and inefficient judiciary makes concerning system vulnerable to high loss and it demands a system that keeps the accurate record of lands and makes it available in time (Patil 2014; Padma et al, 2015; Vijay Krishna, 2003). Hence decision-makers or administrators require a well organized tool like GIS will help to obtain the updated layout of the region (Kodge and Hiremath, 2012). Adinarayana et al., 2008 proposed a geographical information and communication technology (Geo-ICT) based information system for rural development to assist the user in analsying the rural information for rural development. Patil, 2014 used GIS platform using Gram++ software to assist administrators for village level planning. Asadi et al, 2012 used remote sensing and GIS techniques along with VB. NET for micro level planning and sustainable development of mandals that would be helpful for government officers, planners, geographers and a person who does not have prior knowledge on the software can avail village information at one place. DSS play a huge role in improving school facilities which is very useful for village Sarpanch and parents, district development officers for decision making at appropriate level (Hareesh and Valli Kumari, 2013). Govindaraj et al, 2013 addressed that information system based on spatial data at panchayath level will be useful for proper planning, monitoring, investigation and decision making to provide better public utility services. GIS and remote sensing act as an important tool has greatly reduced the problem by computerization of the spatially correlated data for handling, retrieving, analysis of spatial data and storage (Sitender et al, 2012; Penning de Vries et al, 1991). Sitender et al, 2012 developed information system to examine the status of infrastructure facilities using HTML environment. Kodge and Hiremath, 2012 used open source geospatial tool such as QGIS and web based information system using SQL to extract village level information system. To determine the impacts on future land use patterns, web based information system also known as village information system (VIS) allow planners and citizens to act efficiently and quickly create and examine the scenarios alternative development (Santosh et al, 2009). Some of the service organization such as NIC and ICT application play a vital role in facilitating grass root delivery of GIS based DSS for planning at micro levels and providing integrated spatial and non spatial data services for planning (Yadav and Singh, 2009). Rayed addressed SDSS converts existing datasets into new datasets by applying DSS models, expert system, and artificial intelligence, such data combination provide a model output that provide solutions with spatial relevance. In such a place where spatial and visual representation is important, GIS data play a key role (Rayed, 2010). The present book chapter highlights the power of GIS technology to understand and evaluate spatial data by creating graphic displays using attribute information stored in the GIS database such that the clients can view the information query. It is concluded that people living in rural area urgently needs a GIS based e-governance system in order to help the government in planning, implementation and monitoring of various projects for development of rural areas at a faster rate to develop the state more technologically advanced. The modern technology of remote sensing includes both aerial and satellite based systems, provide easy access to data on a repetitive basis with speed and spatial data can be analyzed together with the help of GIS, generating various options such as modeling, thereby the whole planning process can be optimized (Jhawar et al, 2012). The high resolution RESOURCESAT-II (LISS-IV Mx) sensors are used for rural and urban area detection and identification in the study area. Remote sensing approaches have been widely used due to its cost-effectiveness, extensibility and temporal frequency. Some of the important features of DSS such as it provide an accurate spatial view of district such as district, mandals, village level as well as road and rail network, drainage network, education and health related data, demographic data on desktop in a GIS environment. DSS assists them to find out the optimum locations for health centers, schools depending on certain parameters include total number of population, number of health centers and its possible location and in case of education number of primary schools, and percentage of population literate, vacant places, teachers recruited in a village etc.