1. SIML A template language for an extensible data driven decision support system to support policy making Ren Bauer Supervised by Hye-Chung Kum

2. Outline What is a decision support system (DSS)? – Active vs. Passive – Model vs. Data driven Related Work – Design of a DSS SAS/Internet Markup Language – What’s it for? – What’s it look like? – How’s it work? Future Work Questions

3. What is a DSS? A computer based system to support decision making [1] Database Model – Decision context User Interface

4. DSS Taxonomy Passive – Provides information, no suggestions Active – Provides information and suggestions Cooperative – Provides information and suggestions – Takes user feedback to provide improved suggestions [2]

5. DSS Taxonomy Communication-driven – Support multiple people working on the same task Data-driven – Emphasizes access to a time series of data Document-driven – Manages unstructured documents Knowledge-driven – Provides problem solving expertise stored as facts, rules Model-driven – Emphasize access to and manipulation of a model [3]

6. Related Work: Policy Support Most systems rely on Models – Bangkok 2010 study [4] Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System – Positives Can provide effective suggestions for new policies Backed up by real math – Negatives Lots of input: difficult to apply in new situations Not applicable to situations which do not fit models

7. Related Work: DSS Design [5]

8. Social workers needed a better way to extract useful information Lots of data – Child Welfare – Food and Nutrition Services – Work First SIML: What’s it for?

9. SIML: What’s it look like? ssw.unc.edu/ma

10. SIML: How’s it work? The SIML environment includes: – Templates – External files – Compilation engine User writes a configuration file – SIML (XML based) – Specify template, dataset, variables, etc. User runs compilation engine – Combines configuration and template files – Produces SAS/Internet output file User opens output in a browser – Broker generates HTML from output and external files – Browser displays HTML to user

11. SIML: How’s it work?

12. Advantages Extensibility – Adding new pages – Generating new views of existing data Usability – Systems knowledge – Basic knowledge of SAS

13. Further Adaptability – Ease of integration User Personalization – Adaptive Menus More active support – Integration of policy data Future Work We’ve noticed a recent increase in your work first cases. Ashe county has experienced a sharp decrease since their implementation of policy WF-9000 in 2011Q1. Click here for more details.

14. Recap Computerized system to help people make decisions Questions?

15. Works 1.Henk G. Sol et al. (1987). Expert systems and artificial intelligence in decision support systems: proceedings of the Second Mini Euroconference, Lunteren, The Netherlands, 17–20 November 1985. Springer, 1987. ISBN 9027724377. p.1-2.Henk G. SolISBN 9027724377 2.Haettenschwiler, P. (1999). Neues anwenderfreundliches Konzept der Entscheidungsunterstützung. Gutes Entscheiden in Wirtschaft, Politik und Gesellschaft. Zurich, vdf Hochschulverlag AG: 189-208. 3.Power, D. J. (2002). Decision support systems: concepts and resources for managers. Westport, Conn., Quorum Books. 4.Aumnad Phdungsilp, Integrated energy and carbon modeling with a decision support system: Policy scenarios for low-carbon city development in Bangkok, Energy Policy, Volume 38, Issue 9, September 2010, Pages 4808-4817, ISSN 0301-4215, 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.10.026. 5.H. van Delden, R. Seppelt, R. White, A.J. Jakeman, A methodology for the design and development of integrated models for policy support, Environmental Modelling & Software, Volume 26, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 266-279, ISSN 1364-8152, 10.1016/j.envsoft.2010.03.021.