GIS-integrated multi-criteria suitability anal¬ysis for healthcare facilities site selection in Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir, India

In recent years, decentralized composting appeared as one of the most appropriate treatment options for organic waste valorization in low- and middle-income countries. In Cote d'Ivoire, a pilot project has proved the feasibility of organic municipal solid waste composting for the city of Tiassalé. However, numerous issues still need to be addressed for the establishment of a sustainable decentralized composting system in this city. One of the key issues is site selection. Until now, there is no clear model for such plant site selection. In this study, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and geographical information system (GIS) approaches were combined to develop an appropriate model for selecting decentralized composting sites in the city of Tiassalé. The methodology used involved two different and complementary phases. First, MCDA and GIS techniques were used to identify the most suitable site areas. Seven criteria clustered in three main factors (environmental, social and economic), and five constraints were considered in the analysis process. Second, five sites were selected within the most suitable areas after a basic field visit and ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The results showed that the most suitable spaces for decentralized composting plant siting represent only 2.6% of the study area. The investigation yielded on the selection of the two best options for decentralized composting plant siting for the city of Tiassalé. This study proved that the combination of MCDA and GIS is a practical and efficient method to identify suitable sites for decentralized composting plants.

Kyne, D., 2023. Storm surge risk assessment in coastal communities in the Rio Grande Valley: An application of GIS-based spatial multicriteria decision analysis with analytical hierarchy process. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(3), 471–483. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Cameron County, which is located in the Rio Grande Valley, maintains records of storm surges associated with noticeable property damage, fatalities, and injuries. This study investigates storm surge inundation risk in Cameron County using storm surge hazard datasets from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with American Community Survey 2019 block group datasets. Using a GIS-based spatial multicriteria decision analysis with an analytical hierarchy process method, the study estimates that storm surge water levels could be above 6.1 m (20 ft) in category 4 and 5 hurricane events, whereas about 37% of the county's population (159,659 people) could be exposed to floodwater in the event of a category 5 hurricane. The inundation risk map shows that in the event of a category 4 or 5 hurricane, about 28 and 42%, respectively, of county's area could be exposed to a very high level of inundation risk. Because of the destructive power of such storms and their potential consequences, the findings suggest that storm surge risk should not be underestimated. All stakeholders should proactively prepare for potential storm surge events.

The Identification of suitable sites for solid waste disposal remains a significance challenge in rapidly developing cities due to public health concerns and environmental sustainability. The goal of this study is to identify a suitable area for solid waste disposal of the Prayagraj city using geospatial techniques and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Seven different criteria such as slope, LULC, lithology, geomorphology, distance from road, distance from railway, distance from river has been obtained and spatial thematic maps were generated in GIS environment. The datasets used for this study were obtained from the ISRO website, OpenStreetMap, and Sentinel-2 imagery. A multi-criteria decision-making approach based on the AHP method was applied to assign weights to all criteria for identifying suitable locations for waste disposal. All the different criteria maps of the study area were generated and overlaid in GIS environment to generate the final suitability map, which was classified into highly suitable, moderate suitable and not suitable area. The result of the study area shows that about 3.87 % of the study area come under most suitable site, 26.45 % come under moderately suitable and 69.68 % come under not suitable area. This study supports the selection of waste disposal sites and provides valuable guidance to municipal authorities and decision makers in addressing environmental issues and improving public health.

Rapid population growth integrated with poor governance and urban planning is highly challenging resulting key for the selection of unsuitable landfill sites, particularly in developing counties. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the suitable solid waste landfill sites in the capital of the country as a case study, by the integration of Geographical Information System (GIS) with fuzzy logic, analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and weighted linear combination (WLC) method based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). We chose thirteen (13) criteria (9 factors and 4 constraints) and grouped them into two main categories (environmental and socioeconomic) to achieve the objectives. The AHP was employed to evaluate the relative importance of the factors followed by standardization of criteria factors based on fuzzy set theory. Subsequently, all criteria factors were combined based on AHP and fuzzy logic-WLC method in order to obtain land suitability map. Finally, the sites were identified by the intersection of two combined suitability index layers. The obtained results depicted that the integration of fuzzy logic, AHP, and WLC technique with GIS can produce satisfactory results for the suitable locations of solid waste landfill sites over complex topographic regions. Overall, the land suitability obtained based on fuzzy-WLC is more refined and smooth because of its better segregation and its potential to consider full tradeoff between factors and average risk. The AHP was identified (47km2) as high suitable while fuzzy-WLC generated 36km2 as suitable area. Finally, the intersection of both suitability index map shows numerous suitable landfill sites available in Islamabad city; however, the surface areas of the sites are small at individual level (less than 15ha).

Assessment of suitable shrimp farming site selection using geographical information system based Analytical Hierarchy Process in Turkey

Identifying landslide-prone areas is an essential step in assessing landslide risk and reducing landslide damage. In this paper, GIS-based spatial analysis has been used to prepare the landslide susceptibility (LS) map in the north of Lorestan province in western Iran. For this purpose, three main criteria and their sub-criteria were identified as causative factors including geology and topography (i.e., distance from the fault, lithology, slope, aspect, and elevation), climate (i.e., rainfall and distance from the river), and environmental parameters (i.e., distance from the road, land-cover, NDVI). One hundred thirty-six known landslides were randomly divided into training ([Formula: see text] 70%) and validation ([Formula: see text] 30%) datasets. This study is based on the integration of popular analytic hierarchy process (AHP), frequency ratio (FR), and the fuzzy gamma operator (FGO) techniques. AHP was utilized to prioritize causal factors and fuzzy technique was applied in two stages of factor map fuzzification and calculation of sub-criteria maps and then overlap of fuzzified map layers. The fuzzy membership (FM) values were determined based on the FR method, which was normalized between the ranges of 0 and 1. Finally, LS zoning maps were estimated in five susceptibility classes (very low, low, moderate, high, and very high). Validation processes by comparing the three output maps with the layer of validation landslides in the study area and area under receiver operating characteristic curve confirm that the gamma value of 0.9 (AUC = 0.88) offers a more accurate LS map compared to other gamma values. The results of this study will be reliable for landslide risk reduction strategies.

Asthma is a significant global health issue, especially in high-altitude areas where unique environmental conditions and socioeconomic disparities may elevate disease risk and severity. This study examines the prevalence and determinants of asthma among the Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes living in the high-altitude regions of the western Himalayas, providing insights into the influence of altitude, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle on asthma risk. We conducted a cross-sectional survey across 816 households in 50 villages in Poonch and Rajouri districts, utilizing a stratified random sampling approach to ensure a representative sample. Villages were categorized by altitude and population density. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools were used to map asthma prevalence using inverse distance weighting (IDW) and Natural Breaks classification to identify high-risk zones. To determine asthma risk factors, we applied a binary logistic regression model (BLRM), with model fit assessed via pseudo-R² and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests, and predictive accuracy evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Asthma prevalence was 22.5% among the study population. Higher altitudes were linked to a significantly lower likelihood of asthma (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.10, p = 0.002). In contrast, extended family living arrangements (AOR: 8.80, p = 0.008) and individuals in their prime working years (AOR: 93.36, p = 0.001) showed elevated asthma risk. Protective factors included higher education, government employment, farming, increased household income, and residence in modern housing. The model exhibited strong fit (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.82) and high predictive accuracy (ROC-AUC = 0.98). Asthma prevalence among Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes in the high-altitude Himalayas is shaped by a complex interplay of altitude, socioeconomic status, and demographic factors. Altitude appears protective, while social structure, economic activities, and housing conditions modulate asthma risk. GIS-based spatial analysis effectively identifies high-risk areas, underscoring the need for targeted public health interventions tailored to the specific needs of these geographically isolated communities.

Unprecedented and chaotic growth of cities results in reducing open spaces and water bodies, worsening infrastructure facilities and changes in ecological morphology. This unregulated growth of the urban population led to uneven distribution of urban amenities, facilities and healthcare services. Considering this, the study aimed to draw attention to the existing spatial pattern of healthcare facility centres as well as to find out the possible sites for the provision of healthcare facility centres in the municipal ward (micro-scale) of Midnapore town. This prototype study was conducted using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) evaluation model based on various criteria through Arc GIS environment. The findings indicate that the spatial distribution patterns of existing public healthcare centres were significantly dispersed. Weights based on a set of criteria were calculated by AHP and OLS algorithm and generated suitability evaluation maps classified from 1 (poor suitable) to 4 (most suitable). According to the employed criteria in this study unveil those existing hospitals and primary healthcare centres have not been located in the appropriate locations. The model is found to be valid for the given study area and there is no significant difference between AHP and OLS results. Further, it can be used for preparing the suitability map for the other areas with similar geo-environmental conditions for the proviso of healthcare services as well as will be most effective in preventing disease progression and reducing healthcare inequality on a large scale.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10708-021-10528-w.

The construction of landfills is not an alternative option, since a landfill is always a necessary component of the specific waste management system that will be developed. One of the serious and growing potential problems in large urban areas is the shortage of land for waste disposal. In solid waste management programmes, use of geographic information systems (GIS) is a very significant tool because the selection of a suitable site is a very time-consuming process. The analytic hierarchy process in GIS provides objective mathematics to process the subjective preferences of individuals or groups and arrive at a decision. The present paper describes a spatial methodology which comprised several methods, such as multi-criteria analysis, that originate in different scientific fields. The final goal of the methodology was to evaluate the suitability of the studied area (Trabzon, NE Turkey) in order to optimally select a landfill site. Different constraint maps were overlaid with spatial analysis modules to obtain a final suitability map for Trabzon City and five suitable areas were identified. An analytic hierarchy process was applied to select the most suitable solid waste disposal site for municipal waste in the city among these alternative candidate sites. The Düzyurt area was found to be the most suitable solid waste disposal site. However, geotechnical investigations indicated that some remedial measures would be needed before this landfill site could be used.

Demand for parking areas has increased with the growing population and increasing number of vehicles. Large cities are suffering from a lack of parking areas, which are one of the most significant parts of the modern urban transportation system and traffic management. Locating parking areas has become a major challenge for the urban transport planners, especially in the downtown of metropolises. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with geographic analysis tools can provide a scientific approach to determine optimum locations for parking areas. In this paper, the essential factors affecting parking site selection were considered and data sets concerning these factors were created by GIS analysis techniques. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a Multiple-Criteria-Decision-Analysis (MCDA) method was applied to derive weights of the selected parameters. To conduct parking demand analysis, the parking suitability map was produced by integrating the GIS with AHP. Then, suitable parking areas were determined in a zoning plan that was based on the highest suitability on the map. Other MCDA techniques including TOPSIS and VIKOR were examined and compared to determine the order of preferences among suitable parking areas. Similar to the traditional AHP method, the same results were obtained in the ranking of parking areas with the other methods. Using GIS with these MCDA techniques appears to be a usable approach for better resource allocation as well as parking site selection.

Dam site suitability assessment at the Greater Zab River in northern Iraq using remote sensing data and GIS

Evaluating hotspots for stormwater harvesting through participatory sensing

Identification of suitable landfill sites for the sake of public health is a critical issue which has been addressed in the present study. Sites that are far away from settlements minimize public health problems. In the present study, suitable landfill sites with minimum hazards for environment and public health for Islamabad and Rawalpindi city of Pakistan were identified through analytical hierarchy process, which is a useful technique for the identification of suitable landfill sites with minimum influence on environment, ecology, economy and public health. Afterward, least cost path analysis in GIS was chosen for selection of most suitable landfill site. The environmental (groundwater, surface water, vegetation, soil type and environmental sensitive areas), social (roads, slope) and economic (settlements, airports, railways) factors were taken into consideration and were prioritized with pair-wise comparison and weighted sum analysis. Initially twelve sites were found very highly suitable for landfill site. After ground truthing, seven sites were identified as very highly suitable with total area of 1108 ha complied with prerequisite factors for locating landfill site. Latter least cost path analysis led to identification of four most suitable sites for landfill site. The proposed landfill sites have been sited with maximum accuracy in order to help management authorities to select the more suitable areas and so helping the decision makers in solving waste management problems with minimum pollution and public health risks.

Shortage of land for waste disposal and inappropriate dump sites is the biggest problems in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria, Warri in particular. This problem has its negative impact on human and environment owing to the menace often caused by indiscriminate dumping of solid waste. The swamping nature of the soil and the irregular topographic nature of the land hinder the flow of accumulated water formed by rains. This makes runoff during the rainy season almost impossible leading to flood in most cases. To select an appropriate site for landfill, there is need to consider different alternative areas using numerous criteria’s before making decision. In this study, geographical information systems (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) were employed to analyze selected criteria’s that can influence the selection of a suitable site for sanitary landfill application in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. The selected criterions include; flood extent, stream, rivers, swampy areas, ground water, built-up areas, roads, slopes, airport, palaces and point of interests (POIs). Features of interest such as roads, built-up areas, swampy areas, rivers and streams in the SPOT 5 satellite imagery were converted to vector format by digitizing in order to create a geographic database dataset. Weighted Overlay Linear Combination for map superimposition was adopted while constraints and factors were employed as the criteria for decision-making process. Suitability rating value of 1 to 5 meaning; not suitable, least suitable, moderately suitable, highly suitable and mostly suitable was use as the final index for land suitability. Results of the weighted overlay revealed three potential sites within the study area and they include; site 1, site 2, and site 3 with 3.334, 5.418 and 47/582 hectares of land suitable for sanitary landfill applications. Keyword: Sanitary landfill, weighted overlay, Suitability rating, geographical information systems (GIS), analytical hierarchy process (AHP) DOI : 10.7176/JNSR/10-2-02 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

Iraq, a country in the Middle East, has suffered severe drought events in the past two decades due to a significant decrease in annual precipitation. Water storage by building dams can mitigate drought impacts and assure water supply. This study was designed to identify suitable sites to build new dams within the Al-Khabur River Basin (KhRB). Both the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the weighted sum method (WSM) were used and compared to select suitable dam sites. A total of 14 layers were used as input dataset (i.e., lithology, tectonic zones, distance to active faults, distance to lineaments, soil type, land cover, hypsometry, slope gradient, average precipitation, stream width, Curve Number Grid, distance to major roads, distance to towns and cities, and distance to villages). Landsat-8/Operational Land Imager (OLI) and QuickBird optical images were used in the study. Three types of accuracies were tested: overall, suitable pixels by number, and suitable pixels by weight. Based on these criteria, we determined that 11 sites are suitable for locating dams for runoff harvesting. Results were compared to the location of 21 preselected dams proposed by the Ministry of Agricultural and Water Resources (MAWR). Three of these dam sites coincide with those proposed by the MAWR. The overall accuracies of the 11 dams ranged between 76.2% and 91.8%. The two most suitable dam sites are located in the center of the study area, with favorable geology, adequate storage capacity, and in close proximity to the population centers. Of the two selection methods, the AHP method performed better as its overall accuracy is greater than that of the WSM. We argue that when stream discharge data are not available, use of high spatial resolution QuickBird imageries to determine stream width for discharge estimation is acceptable and can be used for preliminary dam site selection. The study offers a valuable and relatively inexpensive tool to decision-makers for eliminating sites having severe limitations (less suitable sites) and focusing on those with the least restriction (more suitable sites) for dam construction.