Multi-criteria Analysis Process Research Articles

Combined remote sensing and multi-criteria analysis of wetland soil potential for rice production: case study of Ogun river basin, Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the potential for rice productivity in the wetland soil of Nigeria’s Ogun River basin. TOPSIS’ multi-criteria analysis process, Ca-Markov model, with NDVI, NDWI, and land surface temperature from remote sensing data analyses were used to derive an efficacious wetland soil potential model for rice production. The potential for rice cultivation in the area varied from highly suitable (6.6%), to moderately suitable (50.1%) areas, and from marginally suitable areas (26.0%) to areas that are currently unsuitable (17.3%). The major barriers to rice soil suitability were topography, temperature, low fertility, and erosion hazards.

Spatial dependencies during multi-criteria analysis for groundwater resource management at a local scale

The growth of emerging and intermediate cities in Latin America and the Caribbean has been one of the main causes of the gaps found in the access to water quality and sanitation services; therefore, there is a pressing need to significantly improve water resources management to ensure a sustainable development is achieved. In fact, Geographic Information Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis have proven to be very powerful and effective tools, but when the analysis is carried out on the basis of biophysical variables mixed with socioeconomic criteria, problems in the spatial discretization of the data appear, thus making spatialization and rating of variables difficult. The aim of this paper is to compare two types of spatial alternatives in a multi-criteria analysis for groundwater resource management in an intermediate city in Argentina: one made from an hydrological approach (14 watersheds) and the other made from a socioeconomic approach (7 ad-hoc defined zones). Three stages of the multicriteria analysis process were analysed in this paper; firstly the definition of the alternatives to be prioritized, secondly, the sub-criteria rating process using the direct and inferred rating methods, and finally the model results. The map of priorities by watershed and by zones was then generated and the results were classified into first, second and third priority based on groundwater management needs. Furthermore, a sensibility analysis and comparative synthesis between the use of alternatives considering watersheds and ad-hoc zones, were carried out. While the hydrological watershed has demonstrated its usefulness as a land unit for decision-making on water resources issues, it can be noted that this should not be a reason to rule out other alternatives for discretizing a territory that may have socioeconomic rather than physical boundaries, and that may provide a more appropriate outcome for a decision-making process.

Adaptation options assessment for the Australian uranium supply chain focused on the Olympic Dam and Ranger Mines

This study identifies adaptation needs and proposes adaptation options to manage the impact of future climate change in the Australian uranium industry. The study is focussed on two mines - the Ranger and Olympic Dam sites, which represent in excess of 73% of the Australian uranium production. The study employed part of a previous vulnerability assessment from each of the mines' supply chain participants, through which they self-assessed their site-specific risk management plans and their abilities to manage the risk of climate change. Adaptation options were identified and ranked (in three scenarios of decision making) through a multi-criteria analysis process that considered cost-efficiency, effectiveness, speed of implementation, human capital, and additional benefits of adaptation. For each of the sites, the results revealed that an improvement in both internal and external communications with supply chain participants would be the most effective way to increase the capacity for adaptation to climate change in the future. Furthermore, the study reveals that improving the employees’ knowledge about the identification of the climate extremes (climate events and extreme weather events) in their risk management plans (RMPs) and increasing the frequency by which they update their RMPs would improve their adaptive capacity.

Exploring ways to determine an alternative strategic road network in a metropolitan city: A multi-criteria analysis approach

Street functional classification comprises a principal element of urban road networks. However, the conventional approach that has dominated urban and transport planning, has given main priority on car movement. This condition lead to significant negative impacts on cities such as major severances to the urban fabric, low multimodality level, inaccessible road environment for pedestrians and cyclists. As a result, it is clear that we should embark into a new hierarchy system, enhancing and supporting sustainable transport modes.The current research intends to develop a method that determines the strategic road network of a metropolitan region based on a multicriteria analysis process (MCA). More specifically, at first, we created 3 alternatives of re-defining the current strategic road network of the study area. These alternatives propose 3 different strategic network classifications according to several parameters; i) connectivity properties, ii) route position in the road network, iii) urban interest, iv) existence of major public transport lines and metropolitan cycling routes, as well as v) their existing classification condition. Afterwards, we evaluate these alternatives using multicriteria analysis (REGIME method) in order to choose the most efficient one. The evaluation process uses various criteria which cover a considerable range of urban and transport issues. The selected alternative adopts a two-dimensional matrix approach, which addresses the significance of the routes and the modes prioritized. The method is applied to the metropolitan area of Athens in Greece.It is worth noting that the selected alternative can bring about notable benefits for the Greek capital, such as increase of walking, cycling and public transport share, improvement of traffic safety level, greener mobility (less GHG emissions and energy consumption), enhancement of the urban realm, better accessibility and coherence of the urban fabric. The method proposed, is a human-oriented planning tool which provides priority to sustainable modes and could be replicated to other areas with similar characteristics as well.

Defining the degree of flood hazard using a hydrodynamic approach, a case study: Wind turbines field at west of Suez Gulf

There is a big shortage of drinking water in the western Suez Gulf in Egypt. Fortunately, wind energy is available to cope with the required power for desalination. In previous works the area was subjected to Multi-Criteria Analysis process using a DEM implemented into a GIS environment. For each watershed, a Weighted Standardized Risk Factor (WSRF) was deduced based on the correlation factor for all the main morphological parameters which were obtained from the “HEC-HMS” model results. Former thought of defining the safe and unsafe watersheds based on global scale and dependent only on (WSRF), is nowadays criticized as a watershed with high value for (WSRF) could have safe specific areas for the wind turbines’ establishment. A 2D hydrodynamic model was applied on a Macro Scale to deduce inundation maps then were overlaid with wind speeds maps to define the most appropriate locations for wind turbines.

Multi-criteria analysis process for creation and evaluation of PES alternatives in the Ruka-Kuusamo tourism area

Adoption of a new land-use governance system requires acceptance from involved actors. We present a payments for ecosystem services (PES) design process with multi-criteria analysis (MCA) based evaluation of alternatives within a nature-based tourism area in northern Finland. The tourism activities are located on private lands, which are mainly managed for timber production, negatively affecting landscape and recreational values. Earlier attempts have not catalysed the required action among local actors. To increase the practical operability of the suggested PES an MCA process was organised with stakeholders. Alternative PES systems, meeting the demands of local conditions also in the future, were evaluated against good governance criteria in future scenarios. Then, SWOT analysis was carried out for the preferred alternative to reveal supporting and hindering factors for the uptake of the suggested system. The alternative that is obligatory for visitors to the area was preferred among stakeholders representing foresters and tourism entrepreneurs due to its cost-efficiency and funding base. Its implementation would still require a practically adoptable definition of the PES scheme and new co-management arrangements among the actors operating in the area.

GIS-3D Platform to Help Decision Making for Energy Rehabilitation in Urban Environments

One of the main current challenges of European cities is to become energy self-sufficient entities. One of the vectors for this challenge is to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and to promote the generation of renewable energies in the urban environment. The article describes a tool based on GIS-3D technologies to support the identification of the energy rehabilitation potential of neighbourhoods based on the introduction of renewable energies. The platform is based on a urban 3D model that collects the geometry of buildings, together with relevant information for the identification of rehabilitation opportunities (e.g. surfaces, heights, orientations and slopes). The project includes the generation of a cloud-based repository, which incorporates active and passive innovative solutions with metrics that allow the comparison of the solutions and the applicability of them to the real environment. The identification of rehabilitation opportunities combines information resulting from the diagnosis of the current energy performance of the district’s buildings with the potential for renewable generation in the area. A multicriteria analysis process facilitates the identification of the most appropriate rehabilitation solutions for the analysed environment based on different criteria as energy, cost or applicability. The result can be visualized through a web tool that combines 2D and 3D information, with comparative information in a quantitative and geo-referenced manner. The flexibility of the architecture allows the application of the same approach to different urban challenges as the application of energy conservation measures to protected historic urban areas.

Development of a method to identify inter-regional environmental incidents associated with the oil spills in HCM City and the neighboring provinces

The inter-regional incidents associated with the oil spill is increasingly a serious problem to the industrial developing countries, like Vietnam. In this study, a multi-criteria analysis process was proposed to identify petroleum depots that represent potential inter-regional oil spill incidents in Ho Chi Minh City and the neighboring provinces. The criteria for determining the inter-regional inccidents asscociated with oil spill comprise of a number of criteria sets such as oil spill hazard criteria, inter-regional hazard criteria, oil spill damage criteria. Hierarchical analysis (AHP) has been applied for identifying the importance factor of the criteria. The total risk of inter-regional oil spill incidents are then estimated to provide effective support to the risk management and response plan.

Developing Assessment Criteria for Sustainable Transport Appraisal

Defining a clear, comprehensive, and non-overlapping set of assessment criteria is a crucial step in multi-criteria analysis processes. Although criteria are typically developed based on planning objectives, there currently exists no standard procedure for conducting this exercise when both transportation and wider sustainable development goals need to be considered jointly. Based on research applying the multi-actor multi-criteria analysis approach to the case of a high-speed rail project in the UK, this paper presents a framework and a replicable stakeholder involvement process for selecting, defining, and naming assessment criteria to be used in sustainable transport appraisal (STA). The framework consists of a set of systematic guidelines and considerations for producing a coherent list that addresses known cognitive biases and can be understood by a broad range of stakeholders. A further practicable outcome of the research is a comprehensive list, developed using this framework, of 28 transport assessment criteria encompassing direct project impacts, indirect societal impacts, and environmental impacts. This list can serve as a starting point for planners wishing to conduct MCA-based STA. One key take-away from this research is the emphasis on an inclusive, interactive, and iterative approach for defining sustainable transport assessment criteria.

MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS TO PRIORITIZE SUB-WATERSHED FOR FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN CENTRAL KARAKORAM NATIONAL PARK USING GIS/RS APPROACH

Abstract. Morphometric analysis is vital for any watershed investigation and it is inevitable for flood risk assessment in sub-watershed basins. Present study undertaken to carry out critical evaluation and assessment of sub watershed morphological parameters for flood risk assessment of Central Karakorum National Park (CKNP), where Geographical information system and remote sensing (GIS & RS) approach used for quantifying the parameter and mapping of sub watershed units. ASTER DEM used as a geo-spatial data for watershed delineation and stream network. Morphometric analysis carried out using spatial analyst tool of ArcGIS 10.2. The parameters included were bifurcation ratio (Rb), Drainage Texture (Rt), Circulatory ratio (Rc), Elongated ratio (Re), Drainage density (Dd), Stream Length (Lu), Stream order (Su), Slope and Basin length (Lb) have calculated separately. The analysis revealed that the stream order varies from order 1 to 6 and the total numbers of stream segments of all orders were 52. Multi criteria analysis process used to calculate the risk factor. As an accomplished result, map of sub watershed prioritization developed using weighted standardized risk factor. These results helped to understand sensitivity of flush floods in different sub watersheds of the study area and leaded to better management of the mountainous regions in prospect of flush floods.

Hydropower Suitability Analysis on a Large Scale Level: Inclusion of a Calibration Phase to Support Determination of Model Parameters

The paper presents an approach to the modelling of watercourses or their sections according to and in order to determine their suitability for hydropower water use on a large scale. The method is based on a multi-criteria analysis approach which in addition to existing guidelines defines and describes in detail the main stages for model establishment and hydropower suitability analysis. Since hydropower planning stands in direct conflict with other ecological water-related objectives, evaluation of suitability is based on two main criteria, which are supported with the belonging criteria. The first main criterion is based on evaluation of watercourses by their attractiveness for hydropower water use; the second one on evaluation of watercourses according to their ecological state or value. To support proper determination of unknown model parameters (e.g. weights of selected criteria) the paper also presents an upgrade of general multi-criteria analysis process with a calibration stage, which can efficiently upgrade in cases when calibration data is available. The proposed method was tested and discussed on a real case study with three dislocated Slovenian Alpine watercourses, where weights of preselected criteria and some thresholds of performance functions were selected as model variables and calibrated.

Use of a multi-criteria analysis framework to inform the design of risk based general surveillance systems for animal disease in Australia

Australia is a major exporter of livestock and livestock products; a trade assisted by a favourable animal health status. However, increasing international travel and trade, land use changes and climatic change increase the risks of exotic and emerging diseases. At the same time, public sector resources for managing these risks are static or declining. Animal health authorities in Australia identified the need to develop a consistent national approach to surveillance that allocates resources according to risk. A study was undertaken to assess the relative likelihood of occurrence of eight significant diseases of concern to animal health authorities with the aim of producing risk maps to better manage animal disease surveillance. The likelihood of disease occurrence was considered in terms of the likelihood that a disease is introduced and the likelihood that the disease establishes and spreads. Pathways for introduction and exposure and for establishment and spread were identified and data layers representing the factors contributing to each pathway produced as raster maps. A multi-criteria analysis process was used to combine data layers into pathways and pathways into likelihood maps using weightings that reflect the relative importance of each layer and pathway. The likelihood maps for introduction and exposure and for establishment and spread were combined to generate national likelihood maps for each disease. To inform Australia's general surveillance system that exists to detect any disease of importance, the spatial profiles of the eight diseases were subsequently combined using weightings to reflect their relative consequences. The result was a map of relative likelihood of occurrence of any significant disease. Current surveillance activity was assessed by combining data layers for government disease investigations, proximity to vets and wildlife disease investigations. Comparison of the overall risk and current surveillance maps showed that the distribution of current effort was well matched to the distribution of risk.

Bandwidth determination for kernel density analysis of wildfire events at forest sub-district scale

Forest fire is regarded as one of the most significant factors leading to land degradation. While evaluating fire hazard or producing fire risk zone maps, quantitative analyses using historic fire data is often required, and during all these modeling and multi-criteria analysis processes, the fire event itself is taken as the dependent variable. However, there are two main problematic issues in analyzing historic fire data. The first difficulty arises from the fact that it is in point format, whereas a continuous surface is frequently needed for statistically analyzing the relationship of fire events with other factors, such as anthropogenic, topographic and climatic conditions. Another, and probably the most bothersome challenge is to overcome inaccuracy inherent in historic fire data in point format, since the exact coordinates of ignition points are mostly unknown. In this study, kernel density mapping, a widely used method for converting discrete point data into a continuous raster surface, was used to map the historic fire data in Mumcular Forest Sub-district in Muğla, Turkey. The historic fire data was transferred onto the digital forest stand map of the study area, where the exact locations of ignition points are unknown; however, the exact number of ignition points in each compartment of the forest stand map is known. Different random distributions of ignition points were produced, and for each random distribution, kernel density maps were produced by applying two distinct kernel functions with several smoothing parameter options. The obtained maps were compared through correlation analysis in order to illustrate the effect of randomness, choice of kernel function and smoothing parameter. The proposed method gives a range of values rather than a single bandwidth value; however, it provides a more reliable way than comparing the maps with different bandwidths subjectively by eye.

EXTRA: An expert system for multicriteria decision making

This paper presents an expert system approach to a classical decision making problem; aiding in the selection of a preferred action from a list of alternatives evaluated on several criteria. In outranking methods, the non-compensatory aggregation procedure uses an importance relation on criteria subsets. In EXTRA, the decision maker's knowledge on this importance relation are treated purely formally, without converting them into weights. Therefore each outranking relation may be explained in terms of the input informations and of some simple axioms. Finally, the multicriteria analysis process is illustrated and studied on a real world problem: the media selection.