Territorial planning when selecting catchment areas is necessary for increase the availability of water resources. However, changes in land use sometimes occur without taking into account the characteristics of the territory, which can lead to an impact on the environment. Given the multipurpose use, large-scale projects with of private interests, the task becomes more urgent, and there is no related data, there is a mutual influence of infrastructure which necessary for the proper planning and design of hydraulic structures. Identifying suitable areas for certain methods of collecting and retaining water using advanced methods in Geomatics remains one of the important goals of this investigation and the author's dissertation research. This study focuses on the analysis of models and multi-criteria analysis methods used in making decisions about the localization of areas for dam construction that are based with geographic information systems. The author analyzes the paradigms of rationality proposed for making complex decisions, and sets the framework according to which theoretical developments of multi-criteria analysis can provide greater practical significance. The author critically analyzes various approaches and theoretical studies of the subject under consideration. Based on the study, it was concluded that the combination of "multi-criteria analysis method – geoinformation system" has the potential to provide a rational, objective and unbiased approach to decision-making when identifying potential areas when planning the construction of hydraulic structures, as well as the need for an integration component that will speed up decision-making when localizing potential areas, taking into account the main factors, including environmental and social ones.