ABSTRACT
Decision Support Systems (DSS) developers are spending much less time and effort on, for example, software compatibility, and much more on DSS content and structure. The components can be recognised in the majority of developed DSSs, regardless of their purpose and/or complexity. Further development of generic DSS tools can be expected that will lead to standardised, fully modular and flexible structures of DSSs. As information plays a central role in the decision-making process, it should be used as a main criterion in the definition of DSS structure. The vast majority of contemporary DSSs integrate only numerical information; data storage, processing and presentation are usually the main DSS operations carried out by databases, models and Geographical Information Systems. The DSS for Groundwater Pollution Assessment is conceptualised as an integrated information system, meant to support assessment of point-source groundwater pollution problems. The knowledge component is an integral part of a comprehensive DSS.
