Web 2.0 Technologies Empowering Spatial Decision Making

The rapid improvement and innovation in mapping platforms such as Google Maps have resulted in applications which complement business knowledge through high-quality geographically referenced content. However, it is still no common the use of Web 2.0 technologies in developing Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSSs) supporting both web-based data exploration and spatial analysis. This paper tries to identify the key factors which affect development of a SDSS within Web 2.0 technology and aims to make conceptual and practical contribution. Conceptually, a reference architecture is proposed for modeling a SDSS with emphasis on the use of contents and functionality that are available on the web in form of open APIs and reusable services. Mash-ups are privileged mechanisms for integrating data/content from networked resources. Practically, the paper illustrates how this architecture can be effectively deployed for broadly management of spatial and non-spatial information in real estate decision-making.