The studio iSPACE located in Salzburg is part of the Research Studios Austria - a non-profit research institution, and specialized in geo-referenced technologies. Those technologies are utilized to support strategic decisions and operational planning. The spatial approach is used as the key to intelligent linkage of diverse information. Main topics treated in various research projects are sustainable spatial and infrastructure planning, renewable energy usage and standardised geo data infrastructures and on the fly geo data integration, analysis and visualisation.

The Research Studio iSPACE has strong competences in the fields of geographical analysis, indicator development, mapping and web tools. It uses them very successfully for decision support in all sorts of planning decisions. Within the project these competences will be used to develop an integrative holistic planning method. The implementation of a case study in the region of Salzburg focusing the growing together of energy centred and spatial planning centred methods stands in the foreground. Additionally also the growing together of the building view and the settlement view will be treated. Next to the development of specific indicators and a Web-GIS solution for the pilot region, stakeholder workshops will be carried out. The latter will help to ensure the usefulness of the developed methodologies and strategies for the Authorities.