Mesta

Wiki quality control

Has flag	N/A

Name, responsible organisation and contact person

Has full name	Mesta
Has acronym	Mesta
Has wiki contact person	Mikko Kurttila
Has wiki contact e-mail	mikko.kurttila@metla.fi

Software identification

Has software	Mesta.Software

Description

Has description	An internet-based decision-support application for (participatory) maker strategic-level natural resources discrete choice situations.
Has modelling scope	Economical indicators, Forest indicators, user defined
Has temporal scale	Long term (strategic)
Has spatial context	Non spatial, Spatial with neighbourhood interrelations, Spatial with no neighbourhood interrelations
Has spatial scale	Forest level, Regional/national level, Stand level
Has objectives dimension	Multiple objectives
Has related DSS
Has goods and services dimension	Market wood products
Has decision making dimension	Single decision maker
Has forest management goal
Supports tree species	any
Supports silvicultural regime	even-aged, uneven-aged/natural regeneration, uneven-aged/plantation, coppice system, agroforestry, user defined

Concrete application

Has typical use case
Has user profile
Has country
Has references about examples of application
Has number of users	N/A
Has number of real-life applications	N/A
Has utilisation in education	used by students
Has research project reference
Has tool dissemination

Decision support techniques used in the DSS

Has decision support techniques	Mesta.Decision support techniques

Support of Knowledge Management

Has knowledge management processes	Mesta.Knowledge management process

Support of social participation

Has support for social participation	Mesta.Support of social participation

DSS development

Has DSS development	Mesta.Description of DSS development

Documentation

Has website	http://www.mesta.metla.fi
Has online demo
Has manual	No
Has technical documentation	No
Has reference	HILTUNEN, V., M. KURTTILA, P. LESKINEN, K. PASANEN et J. PYKÄLÄINEN (2009): Mesta: An internet-based decision-support application for participatory strategic-level natural resources planning. Forest Policy and Economics 11: 1-9. PASANEN, K., M. KURTTILA, J. PYKÄLÄINEN, J. KANGAS, et P. LESKINEN (2005): MESTA - Non-industrial private forest owners' decision-support environment for the evaluation of alternative forest plans over the internet. Internationaljournal ofinformation Technology & Decision Making 4(4): 601-620 KANGAS ,A., J. KANGAS etM. KURTTILA (2008): Decision supportfor forest management. Managing Forest Ecosystems 16. Springer. 222 p.

Non-wood forest products

Has NWFP support	MESTA.TATTI

General System description

System name: Mesta

Brief overview

An internet-based decision-support application for (participatory) maker strategic-level natural resources discrete choice situations.

Scope of the system

Mesta has been designed to support multi-criteria decision making situations. It works in the Internet. It demands the decision maker to define his/her acceptance threshold (=border of approval) for all predefined criteria. The acceptance border definitions are continued until only one alternative exists that is above the acceptance borders. On the other hand, the functioning reminds approval voting. On the other hand, the functioning reminds feasible region reduction method. However, in Mesta, the alternatives and their criteria values have been created before the approval border definitions.

System origin

Mesta has been developed in Finnish Forest Research Institute.

User rights can be applied from Mikko Kurttila (@metla.fi)

It has real-life applications in four natural resources planning processes of Metsähallitus. The size of the planning areas have been several hundred thousand hectares and typically there has been some 15 participants. They have first used Mesta independently. After this phase and related learning process, group negotiation with Mesta has been carried out, where the final accepted solution for the area has been searched.

Support for specific issues

The Mesta DSS is a general system and it can be applied to numerous decision situations (buying a car, selecting a treatment schedule for stand, and selecting a strategy for a region etc.).

Support for specific thematic areas of a problem type

Strategic planning processes and general discrete choice situations with multiple criteria.

Capability to support decision making phases

Supports the selection phase. Criteria selection, definition of alternatives and estimating the impacts of alternatives has to be carried out before using Mesta.

Data and data models

Mesta interface showing the threshold values which were used as the starting point of the negotiation process in a case study. (Source: HILTUNEN et al. 2009)

Typical spatial extent of application

Varies a lot, from stand level to region or country level.

Forest data input

So called result matrix that includes:

1. selected evaluation criteria
2. predefined alternatives
3. estimated outcome from alternative for each criteria

Numerical criteria needs to be used. The aim can be either to maximize or to minimize the criteria value.

Type of information input from user (via GUI)

Two types of users exist:

1. A facilitator that defines the decision problem and gives the information of the result matrix. In addition, a facilitator defines the participants.
2. A participant gives his/her acceptance border values for each criteria.

Decision Support

Mesta interface showing the final threshold values in a case study. (Source: HILTUNEN et al. 2009)

Types of decisions supported

• Management level
  • applicable to all levels

• Management function
• discrete choice situations (select one of the alternatives)

• Decision making situation
  • Unilateral
  • Participatory decision making

Decision-making processes and models

• Multiple criteria decision support
  • Based on acceptance border definitions from the users and group negotiation

Output

Types of outputs

• Points out the selected alternative

System

System requirements

• Operating Systems: Web-based
• Development status: System in use

Architecture and major DSS components

Web-based system. Utilizes flash-application.

Usage

Used in practical decision making, in projects as well as in research.

Computational limitations

At maximum 10 criteria and 30 alternatives.

User interface

Easily understandable interface, small amount of information demanded from the participant.

Installation

• Directly usable after the user has username and password

• Cost: Case-specific, to be negotiated

• Demo: see www.mesta.metla.fi where a small decision problem is available

References

Cited references

HILTUNEN, V., M. KURTTILA, P. LESKINEN, K. PASANEN et J. PYKÄLÄINEN (2009): Mesta: An internet-based decision-support application for participatory strategic-level natural resources planning. Forest Policy and Economics 11: 1-9.

PASANEN, K., M. KURTTILA, J. PYKÄLÄINEN, J. KANGAS, et P. LESKINEN (2005): MESTA - Non-industrial private forest owners' decision-support environment for the evaluation of alternative forest plans over the internet. International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making 4(4): 601-620.

KANGAS ,A., J. KANGAS et M. KURTTILA (2008): Decision support for forest management. Managing Forest Ecosystems 16. Springer. 222 p.