The effectiveness of geographical data in multi-criteria evaluation of landscape services†

The aim of the paper is to map and evaluate the state of the multifunctional landscape ofthe municipality of Naples (Italy) and its surroundings, through a Spatial Decision-Making supportsystem (SDSS) combining geographic information system (GIS) and a multi-criteria method ananalytic hierarchy process (AHP). We conceive a knowledge-mapping-evaluation (KME) frameworkin order to investigate the landscape as a complex system. The focus of the proposed methodologyinvolving data gathering and processing. Therefore, both the authoritative and the unofficial sources,e.g., volunteered geographical information (VGI), are useful tools to enhance the informationflow whenever quality assurance is performed. Thus, the maps of spatial criteria are usefulfor problem structuring and prioritization by considering the availability of context-aware data.Finally, the identification of landscape services (LS) and ecosystem services (ES) can improve thedecision-making processes within a multi-stakeholders perspective involving the evaluation of thetrade-off. The results show multi-criteria choropleth maps of the LS and ES with the density ofservices, the spatial distribution, and the surrounding benefits.