A conceptual approach to decision support system models

摘要

A framework for development of decision support systems is presented. This framework outlines abstractions involved in a decision-making process and describes the conceptual specifications of various functions and components of a decision support system. A decision support system is described in terms of five basic facets of a decision-making process: data processing, model building, goal analysis, problem recognition and analysis, and virtual solution process. These functions cover the entire span of a decision-making process and provide a decision analysis environment in order to extend the decision maker's judgment and intuition systematically. These functions are fulfilled by the integration and coordination of six different components of a decision support system architecture: the Central Intelligent Unit, the Data/Model Base Management System, the Control System, the Interface System, the Communications Unit, and the Operating System. The architecture provides facilities that allow the decision maker to deal with abstractions at knowledge level and reduce them to lower operational and procedural levels. The applications of the conceptual framework is illustrated with an example.