Interactive computer support in decision conferencing: Two cases on off-site nuclear emergency management

In this paper, we study the new opportunities offered by the interactive use of advanced multicriteria software in decision conferencing. We analyze and make observations on this approach in two one-day decision conferences on the planning of later phase countermeasures in off-site nuclear emergency management. The participants' individual use of the software in the preference elicitation phase was an essential new characteristic of these conferences. It turned out to be a feasible and well accepted process. We shall discuss the requirements for the facilitation and computer support in this kind of an approach.