DEXiWare: a software development framework for building cooperative decision support systems

• Description of the methodology used to develop the DEXiWare framework for building (domain agnostic) DSS. • DSS generation with DEXiWare is adapted to decision models built by the DEX method. • Engine for top-down (goal seeking) and bottom-up (what-if) scenario generation. • Support for cooperative work in gathering data and analyzing scenarios about complex decision problems. • Usability evaluation and validation use cases from agriculture. The development of decision support systems (DSS) for agriculture increasingly relies on complex decision models, yet transforming such models into operational, user-friendly software remains challenging. DEXiWare is a software framework designed to support the development of web-based, cooperative DSS based on decision models built with the DEX (Decision EXpert) method. The framework provides a standardized workflow for operationalizing decision models, including automated model import, data handling, assessment, and scenario analysis, within a reusable backend–frontend architecture. DEXiWare integrates backend services, a web-based user interface, and a decision engine supporting top-down (goal-seeking) and bottom-up (what-if) scenario exploration. The framework is evaluated through its application in multiple agricultural DSS and through usability testing with stakeholders, demonstrating its applicability for translating qualitative decision models into operational decision support tools for sustainability assessment in agricultural production systems. The methodological framework of DEXiWare: Based on the experience gained in the development of various DSS (Phase I) we have abstracted the components and processes common to all DSS into a standardized methodology, the DEXiWare framework (Phase II) which was then validated in the development of two new DSS (Phase III).