Planners and policy makers face a difficult task. The world they must deal with is complex, interconnected, and ever-changing. Coastal zone management, urban planning, and the design of policies for sustainable economic development all pose the problem of dealing with systems in which natural and human factors are thoroughly intertwined. Understanding the processes that cause these systems to change and knowing their spatial ramifications is essential in the preparation of effective policies. Systems such as these must be understood and managed as dynamic entities, so that change is accommodated and system integrity maintained. RIKS’ work is dedicated to a single basic idea: that complex systems can best be understood and managed with the help of computer-based simulation models. But, these models must be transparent, easy to use, and give results that are directly relevant to policy and management questions. To implement this philosophy, we: Analyse the specific problem(s) for which a solution is sought, naturally in close collaboration with the problem-owner and the end-user of the intended system; Make an inventory of and amass the relevant data and knowledge. The owners of this information can be involved in the development process of the resulting policy instruments; Carry out problem specific research and develop innovative spatial models for representing complex, dynamic systems in which socio-economic and environmental components are treated as parts of an integrated whole; Imbed these models in easy-to-use Decision Support Systems, so that the user can focus on the results of the analysis rather than on the details of the model or encompassing software system; Provide a supplemental set of tools to facilitate the design, the analysis, and the evaluation of policy alternatives; Manage and facilitate development trajectories of integrated models and Decision Support Systems; Besides the development of Decision Support Systems we also: Provide presentations, training and other kinds of educational support in relation to Decision Support Systems: their contents, development and use; Maintain and distribute Decision Support Systems; Assist in the use of Decision Support Systems for policy analysis and design; Manage policy analysis and policy design processes. RIKS has the competence to carry out each of the above task in the design, implementation and use of Decision Support Systems autonomously or in collaboration with other parties.