RDAS is a cloud-based, open-access visual data management and AI analytics platform developed by RIMES under the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CARE) for South Asia Project for assessing, managing, and predicting climate risks, and adaptation opportunities and potential in South Asia.

RDAS is fully accessible via www.rdas.rimes.int.

A decision support system (DSS) is a computerized program used to support determinations, judgments, and courses of action in an organization or a business. A DSS sifts through and analyzes massive amounts of data, compiling comprehensive information that can be used to solve problems and in decision-making.

At a fundamental level, the hope has always been that our information and decision support systems will help decision makers monitor events, and evaluate, choose and act on alternatives as events actually unfold.

Users of DSSs include managers, staff, customers, the general public, and workers in business, government and not-for-profit organizations.

In some cases, a DSS has little impact on decision outcomes, but it may have other desirable benefits like faster decision making or reduced training costs for new decision makers. Some DSSs can increase the likelihood that targeted users will make "good" decisions.

A DSS can improve strategic planning and strategic control. Many organizations have not defined performance objectives and this limits possibilities. Setting measurable performance objectives is the first step toward using information technology to improve implementation of strategic plans.

Yes, a DSS is not a perfect cure. It requires technical know-how that not every user has. Researchers and managers also tend to focus on the anticipated positive consequences of using a specific Decision Support System (DSS). Using a computerized system to support decision making can have anticipated and unanticipated negative consequences, depending on how the information it provides is used or interpreted. This is why the human aspect of decision-making remains crucial and a DSS must be seen as an “aid” to decision-making rather than an end-all or be-all.

Out of over 50 tools for climate change planning available, 58% were designed primarily to inform and engage, 38% enabled scenario planning, while just 26% supported decision analysis—comparing, analyzing, and ranking decision alternatives.

The Primary Advantage of a Decision Support Tool is its ability to promote coordination and collaboration across city departments, organizations, sectors, jurisdictions, regions, and countries. More than anything, effectively mitigating and adapting to the global impacts of climate change will require sharing information and collaborating on solutions at every level.

DSS can help point toward solutions that may not be obvious otherwise. In the case of agriculture, for example, farmers can turn to a DSS to solve issues related to crop productivity, while policymakers or planners in this sector can look into the DSS for better water management, optimized irrigation plans or strategies, and anticipating future yields of crops based on climate conditions.

RIMES is developing several DSSs under CARE for South Asia. Here are some examples from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Yes, under CARE for South Asia project, we are planning to increase people’s capacity to use and maximize these systems through various trainings and capacity-building efforts. Please keep on checking our Events page or join our Mailing List to stay updated on our latest initiatives.

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