Background Local programming and planning involve interconnected policies, plans, programmes and projects which have environmental impacts and need to be assessed properly before decisions are taken. Decision-making tools must take into account environmental concerns and the active participation of interested parties. This has to be done flexibly and there is a requirement for a capability to review and update processes. The SFIDA project aimed to address the requirement for a decision support system, to be used to manage issues ranging from single project cycle monitoring to the strategic evaluation of public programmes. The project planned to develop the system and apply it to case studies in three municipalities located near Lake Garda, Italy. Objectives The project aimed to design and create a Decision Support System (DSS) for municipal planning, and to test it by developing strategic options for a sustainable tourism plan. A methodology was proposed that would consider the entire life cycle of the plan. The DSS was to involve development of a light information system for customised and decentralised territory interpretation; development of an information procedure to structure the logical route of environmental impact assessment; and development of methodologies and tools for conflict management based on multi-criteria and multi-decision-making analysis. The project foresaw the following phases: Scoping:identifying the area of coverage of the plan, conducting preliminary analyses and setting general principles. Plan development: identifying general objectives, defining and selecting specific objectives and actions, considering and evaluating alternative scenarios. The project planned to repeat these steps as necessary in order to achieve the required level of detail and operational accuracy. The project also planned to design a system to monitor the plan's implementation and its effects. The monitoring activities would allow modification of decisions if unpredictable outcomes should result. Furthermore, the project also set out to address participation in the planning process, ensuring that all interested parties can express their opinions; development of a knowledge base containing all information relevant for decision-making; and coherence analysis to detect contradictions between policies, plans and programmes and to clarify each phase of the process. Results SFIDA developed a Decision Support System (DSS), which is a suite of software tools, including an Internet logbook system, plan development software, environmental impact assessment tools and a data catalogue. The tool can be used to generate and manage the information needed for a decision-making process. Specifically, the tools allow: The implementation of a shared knowledge base; The introduction of rationalising elements in the decision-making process through organisation of activities; The establishment of conditions for active participation in the process (this is done by giving the public access to the analyses and choices made in the process, and providing the opportunity to express points of view and preferences). The DSS makes the entire decision-making process transparent and repeatable with regard to both the procedures and the contents of studies and analyses. The DSS cannot eliminate subjective factors in the process, but it rationally organises the logical path and the information necessary for an informed and responsible outcome. The DSS supports organisation, transparency and communication; access to information and data analyses; generation of plan alternatives; impact forecasting; evaluation and comparison of plan alternatives and negotiation between interested parties. The DSS was tested in Sirmione, Padenghe sul Garda and Pozzolengo, the three Italian partner municipalities close to Lake Garda. The focus of the case study was the development of sustainable tourism strategies. Based on preliminary analyses and public participation, particular aspects were studied in greater depth in each municipality: in Sirmione, the definition and assessment of alternative options for the transport system; in Padenghe sul Garda, the conservation and promotion of inland and coastal areas; in Pozzolengo, the definition of a shared vision for future tourism strategies. The project highlighted some crucial considerations: Potential problems: Difficulties in obtaining accurate information or data Lack of homogeneous time series data Inadequate degree of spatial detail in the data Low levels of Internet use at local level Scant tradition of local participation in planning processes A cultural change is necessary, which implies capacity and willingness to: Work in teams Define the roles of all the subjects involved and coordinate activities and time schedules Share information in an efficient and effective way Make the logical path leading to decisions transparent Reconsider opinions and choices over tim