This study concerns the use of particular technologies and of Geographical Information System (GIS) as tools to aid effective planning and decision making in the context of a Developing Country such as Malaysia. As in other Developing Countries, the main problems of using GIS within small organisations such as local authorities and planning authorities in Malaysia are associated with the availability of data, the availability of skilled personnel and the constraints of budgets. A low-cost digital data acquisition method that includes the use of low-cost scanners and a low-cost digital photogrammetric workstation (DPW) are proposed for generating some of the necessary data. The proposed low-cost method includes the use of low-cost A4 format desktop publishing scanners (DTP) and the Desktop Mapping System (DMS) version 3.1, which is a PC-based digital photogrammetric workstation (DPW). The ARC/INFO version 6.1 software has been employed as the data integration, data visualisation and data analysis tool. A series of tests on DTP scanners and digital photogrammetric products generated from a low-cost DPW have been carried out to confirm that these low-cost data acquisition methods are suitable for generating the required digital data accurately, quickly and without the need for highly skilled personnel. Results from accuracy assessment of DTP scanners have indicated that, while the distortion errors introduced by DTP scanner imperfection are significant, they can be minimised using proper calibration procedures. Results for accuracy assessment have further indicated that high quality DEMs and orthoimages can be produced with a low-cost DPW provided high quality aerial photo images and ground control points are available. The Petaling District in the Klang Valley Region, Malaysia has been used as the study area to demonstrate the role of digital photogrammetry, satellite remote sensing and GIS in the stage-by stage site selection process.