RULES - Sistema de Ayuda para la Planificación del suelo rural

Abstract

In this paper the need for decision support tools for rural land use planning is justified. As an example of this kind of tools, a Spatial Decision Support System, RULES (Rural Land-use Exploration System) is described. RULES is based on a Geographical Information System (GIS), onto which other software components have been integrated in order to link external analytical models, which correspond to the stages of a land use plan: land suitability evaluation, optimization of land use areas and land use allocation. This system allows the user to express his/her preferences and opinions in each phase of the planning process, as well as to visualize the results and their consequences in the form of land use scenarios. Its application in the Terra Cha region has provided alternative spatial land use plans in a quick and justified way.