New ways for elucidating concepts in geographic information science (GIScience) and implementing geographic information systems techniques using cyberinfrastructure, a research and development focus now called CyberGIS, are emerging within the GIScience community. We report on the structured participation in knowledge production as a foundation for ‘high-performance collaboration’ in geospatial problem-solving research. This article focuses on three design considerations for CyberGIS: (1) structured participation methods that underpin analytic–deliberative activities; (2) structured participation methods as a basis for facilitating scientific workflows; and (3) a design for participatory aspects of a CyberGIS environment and its end-user platform as a Gateway. The findings from previous research about participatory workflows are synthesized with challenges in current research about developing collaborative problem-solving capabilities. A CyberGIS Component Architecture is used to frame findings about the use of structured participation methods that can be organized within a modular architecture. The modular architecture enables scientific workflows through a lens of analytic–deliberative structured participation. A use case scenario elucidates functions of structured participation methods to undertake experiments using the CyberGIS Gateway. A brief treatment of implementation considerations is provided, as the details appear in a separate article. Resolving both design and implementation considerations portends innovations in structured participation methods that foster diverse and deep scientific knowledge production.

This paper synthesizes vulnerability, risk, resilience, and sustainability (VRRS) in a way that can be used for decision evaluations about sustainable systems, whether such systems are called coupled natural–human systems, social–ecological systems, coupled human–environment systems, and/or hazards influencing global environmental change, all considered geospatial open systems. Evaluations of V-R-R-S as separate concepts for complex decision problems are important, but more insightful when synthesized for improving integrated decision priorities based on trade-offs of V-R-R-S objectives. A synthesis concept, called VRRSability, provides an overarching perspective that elucidates Tier 2 of a previously developed four-tier framework for organizing measurement-informed ontology and epistemology for sustainability information representation (MOESIR). The new synthesis deepens the MOESIR framework to address VRRSability information representation and clarifies the Tier 2 layer of abstraction. This VRRSability synthesis, composed of 13 components (several with sub-components), offers a controlled vocabulary as the basis of a conceptual framework for organizing workflow assessment and intervention strategies as part of geoinformation decision support software. Researchers, practitioners, and machine learning algorithms can use the vocabulary results for characterizing functional performance relationships between elements of geospatial open systems and the computing technology systems used for evaluating them within a context of complex sustainable systems.

Improving geo-information decision evaluation is an important part of geospatial decision support research, particularly when considering vulnerability, risk, resilience, and sustainability (V-R-R-S) of urban land–water systems (ULWSs). Previous research enumerated a collection of V-R-R-S conceptual component commonalties and differences resulting in a synthesis concept called VRRSability. As a single concept, VRRSability enhances our understanding of the relationships within and among V-R-R-S. This paper reports research that extends and deepens the VRRSability synthesis by elucidating relationships among the V-R-R-S concepts, and organizes them into a VRRSability conceptual framework meant to guide operationalization within decision support systems. The core relationship within the VRRSability framework is ‘functional performance’, which couples land and water concerns within complex ULWS. Using functional performance, we elucidate other significant conceptual relationships, e.g., scale, scenarios and social knowledge, among others. A narrative about the functional performance of green stormwater infrastructure as part of a ULWS offers a practical application of the conceptual framework. VRRSability decision evaluation trade-offs among land and water emerge through the narrative, particularly how land cover influences water flow, which in turn influences water quality. The discussion includes trade-offs along risk–resilience and vulnerability–sustainability dimensions as key aspects of functional performance. Conclusions include knowledge contributions about a VRRSability conceptual framework and the next steps for operationalization within decision support systems using artificial intelligence.