The advent of technologies and data standards that support and encourage information search, selection, analysis, and sharing may change the nature and effectiveness of executive decision making. Many kinds of public officials make decisions in a variety of settings under a wide array of conditions. Elected officials at the Federal, state, and local levels make policy decisions; appointed and career government professionals decide how to interpret policies in the context of program and agency operations. In some cases the decision process is very structured, in others it is more informal. The kind, amount, and timeliness of information available and the openness of the decision process are also strong influences on the decision-making process. These tools may also have implications for public participation and open government.

• What tools are effective in integrating legacy databases to support policy deliberations and management decisions?
• What are the conditions for successful use of advanced simulation and modelling of social, technical, and physical systems?
• How do decision makers value these tools compared to other ways of deciding?
• What kinds of decisions need to be supported by technology and in what ways?
• What tools are best in situations of information overload? Information insufficiency? Variability in information quality?