Cockpit Social Infrastructure: A Case for Planning Support Infrastructure

Theoretical Background

Spatial data and their corresponding distribution systems have nowadays been widely deployed across all levels of government, civil society, businesses and other organizations in their strive for a deeper and data-based understanding of processes (Burrough and McDonnell, 2011). The steady rise of open and urban data infrastructures has given this development yet another push as GIS provides a fundamental interface for these platforms (Pettit et al., 2020; Johnson et al. 2017). While, as the name suggests, these systems are general purpose tools for the dissemination of spatial data and knowledge, they can furthermore comprise functionalities for capturing, storing, manipulating and analysing for spatially-related problems (Geertmann and Stillwell, 2009). Planning Support Systems on the other hand are designed to support efficient planning practices and decision-making (Batty, 2007). PSS consists of a combination of theory, methods, data, information, knowledge and instruments that are related to planning which are combined and integrated in a framework that is accessible via a graphical user interface (Geertmann and Stillwell, 2009). This aforementioned set of diverse requirements that PSS tools encompass paired with a lack of consistent legal mandates and funding, naturally leads to a strong use-case focus in many cases of PSS development (Goodspeed and Hackel, 2017). Klosterman seems to foresee and address this already in 1997 when he argues that PSS should not only be a collection of tools but rather develop towards an information infrastructure that facilitates sustainable structures for interaction among planners and other stakeholders.