Dr. Ir. Luc Boerboom joined ITC in 1999. He holds an MSc degree in Tropical Land and Water Management (1992) from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, specializing in soil and water conservation modeling. He worked a year (1993) as a research assistant with the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), which was one of the Centers of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). There he worked in a program looking at the implication of environmental concerns due to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 for national agricultural research in developing countries. He holds a Ph.D. in agronomy from the University of Georgia in the USA (1999), where he was a research assistant in the USAID-funded SANREM - CRSP (Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management - Collaborative Research Support Program) project. He developed a mathematical programming model to develop scenarios for spatial optimality of multiple farms against watershed optimality regarding soil erosion, using methods from quantitative anthropology to distinguish groups of decision-makers in a "tragedy of the commons".

He has over 30 years of theoretical and practical experience in decision sciences, multi-criteria decision-making, spatial planning and decision support systems, information systems, and software development. Fields of application have been in regional urban planning, regional agricultural planning, integrated watershed management, climate change and forest management, urban and transport planning and decision-making, disaster management, and terrorism threat evaluation. Since 2009 he has studied the institutionalization of spatial planning and decision support systems and web-based spatial decision support systems in spatial planning and decision-making practice. 

Luc is an assistant professor in Spatial Planning and Decision Support Systems and Institutionalization, in the Department of Urban Regional Planning and Geo-information Management. He was a member of the departmental management team holding the portfolio research from September 2004 until July 2007.

Expertise

• development and application of methods, tools, and techniques for spatial planning and decision support with (spatial) information systems and information infrastructures and their institutionalization.
• urban and regional planning and development, strategic planning, water and natural resource management, transport, forestry, agriculture, bioenergy, and climate change.
• participatory and group decision-making, collaborative decision support systems and conflict resolution, spatial system dynamics, scenario development and analysis, future studies, (web-based) policy decision tools and serious games, infrastructure of spatial data and decision support systems.
• institutionalization of spatial planning and decision support systems and infrastructures.
• development and application of (web-based) decision support software.
• disciplines of (spatial) Integrated Assessment, Decision Science, Geo-Informatics, Development Studies

Application domains of spatial planning and decision support systems:

• regional urban planning
• post-war regional reconstruction
• light-rail infrastructure planning
• rangeland management
• climate adaptation forestry
• mangrove and coastal forestry
• wetland flood management
• disaster risk reduction

Country experience:

• Africa: Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan 
• Asia: Malaysia, Philippines, China, India, Nepal
• Latin America: Brazil
• Europe: UK, Germany, Italy

Courses

• Distance course “Spatial Decision Support Systems”
• Spatial planning support systems and scenario development
• Scenario Analysis, Collaborative Decision Support and Serious Gaming
• Systems analysis for NRM
• Scenario planning for Dutch Water Boards

Ph.D. projects

• B. Mutuku. Developing methodology and tools for regional planning and coordinated development in Kenya (2022-2026).
• D. Oyeku. The institutionalization of Planning Support Systems (PSS) in the planning process (2021-2025).
• M. Abdelkader. Analyzing and managing human settlement growth in the Nile Valley, Egypt (2017-2023)
• M. Petr. Climate change, uncertainty and consequent risks: opportunities for forest management adaptation in Britain (2010-2014)
• F. Cheng, Enhancing urban sustainability: Pre-brownfield steering in a rapidly transitional urban context. (2008-2012)
• P. Kolte, Implications for information infrastructure of variability of decision structure and judgment. (2008-2012)
• B. Farhadi. Development of model supporting policy formulation for land and water resource development, the case of Borkhar plain in Islamic republic of Iran. (2005-2009)
• F. Sargordi. Development of model supporting goal formulation for land and water resource development, the case of Borkhar plain in Islamic republic of Iran. (2005-2009)

Activities in research

• Urban and Regional Planning projects
  • 2022-2024 Member of 5-member Expert Group on Land-Sea Planning in the context of the Go Blue project jointly implemented by UN-Habitat and UNEP with 6 Kenyan coastal counties, national agencies and stakeholders.
  • 2022-2023 Project coordinator of the “Training of Trainers/implementors of the Spatial Development Framework Methodology for Preparation of Regional Spatial Development Plans of Ethiopia”, within the UN-Habitat Programme of “Consultancy Services to Prepare Regional Development Spatial Plans for Ten Regional States of Ethiopia”.
  • 2018-2019 Project coordinator - Preparation of the Strategic National Action Plan of the Rwanda Spatial Development Framework (SDF) with the implementation of a decision room (Contracted by UN-Habitat and Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure)
  • 2014-2016 Project coordinator - Implement Spatial Development Framework methodology for National Urban Policy of Rwanda (Contracted by UN-Habitat for Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure)
  • Regional planning strategy for the Blue Nile State, Sudan 2014-2015: Development and implementation of a planning support methodology with Darfur development stakeholders. (Contracted by UN-Habitat for Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport)
  • Regional Planning Strategy of Darfur, Sudan 2012-2015: Development and implementation of a planning support methodology (“Spatial Development Framework - SDF”) with Darfur development stakeholders. (Contracted by UN-Habitat for Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport)
  • Light Rail planning 2004-2005: Develop a spatial decision support system for 60 stakeholders for Light Rail design and choice in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia for Klang Valley Planning Division, Prime Minister’s Office.

• Other projects:
  • ITC Principal Investigator: MaMaSe (Mau Mara Serengeti) Sustainable Water Initiative – ITC interdisciplinary coordinator. Developing a web-based carrying capacity planning support system with Maasai Mara conservancies. (Funded by Royal Dutch Embassy Kenya (http://mamase.unesco-ihe.org/))
  • Technical study for mapping of potential greenbelt zone in the coastal region of Bangladesh, 2016-2017: decision support system software development in ILWIS GIS for spatial multi-criteria evaluation. (Contracted by CEGIS)
  • CHANGES 2011-2015: "Changing Hydro-meteorological Risks". (EU FP7 (http://www.changes-itn.eu/))
  • INCREO 2011-2015: "Increasing Resilience through Earth Observation". (EU FP7 (http://www.increo-fp7.eu/))
  • Project leader - FORESTCLIM 2008-2012: “Transnational Forestry Management Strategies in Response to Regional Climate Change Impacts“. (EU INTERREG IVB North West Europe (NWE) Programme. (http://www.forestclim.eu/))
  • SAFELAND 2010-2012: Living with landslide risk in Europe: Assessment, effects of global change,and risk management strategies. (EU FP7 (http://www.safeland-fp7.eu/))
  • Project leader - ENSPADS 2004 – 2005: Led the EU – ASEAN education curriculum development in Expertise Network for Spatial Planning and Decision Support

• Software development projects:
  • Web-application for livestock and wildlife carrying capacity scenario development with Maasai Mara conservancies (2014-2017, MaMaSE)
  • Web-application for spatial evaluation for mangrove greenbelt development along the full coastal zone of Bangaladesh (2016-2017)
  • Web-application for spatial evaluation for forestry climate change adaptation in Northwest Europe (2008-2012, FORESTCLIM). 
  • Web-application for evaluation of risk scenarios (2010-2012, SAFELAND) 
  • Desktop application in ILWIS GIS for spatial multi-criteria evaluation software in research project on Development of a Spatial Monitoring and Certification System supporting Sustainable Management of production Forest in Indonesia (2003-2007). This project is a joint program between ITC, and Tropenbos International from Holland and Watershed Management Technology Center, Indonesian Eco-labeling, Bogor Institute of Technology, CIFOR, and Ministry of Forestry in Indonesia

Activities in capacity development

Consulting activities

• Preparation of Spatial Development Framework for National Urbanization Policy of Rwanda. Funded by UN Habitat (2014-2016)
• Preparation of a Regional Spatial Planning Strategy of Blue Nile State. Funded by UN Habitat (2013-2015)
• Development of spatial evaluation models for regional plan of Darfur, Sudan, commissioned by UN Habitat. (2012-2014)
• Refresher course (2 weeks) on “Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Urban Development in Eastern Africa” to be held in Uganda (Sept. 2008).
• Expanding Expertise Network for generating and sharing knowledge related to Spatial Planning and Decision Support (ENSPADS) http://www.itc.nl/external/enspads/ (2004-2005) funded by the Asean-EU University Network Programme (AUNP)
• Tailor-made course “Planning support systems: scenario development and analysis” commissioned by Malaysian Federal Department of Town and Country planning. (2005)
• Establish multi-criteria evaluation methodology in for the Klang Valley Integrated Public Transport System And Land Use Development Plan (Kajian Pelan Integrasi Pembangunan Sistem Pengangkutan Awam Dan Gunatanah Lembah Klang), commissioned by the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office (2003-2004)
• The Pantanal-Taquari project: Decision Support System for catchment-based river management (2003-2004) funded by the Dutch Partners for Water Program.
• Short course “Geoinformation for Natural Disaster Management” at the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan, RESTEC, in Tokyo.
• Tailor-made course “Problem analysis for versatile use of spatial databases” commissioned by Malaysian Ministry of Federal Territories. (2003)
• Tailor-made course “Spatial Multicriteria Analisis for Planning and Decision Support” commissioned by Malaysian Federal Department of Town and Country planning. (2002)