Land suitability assessment for sugarcane cultivation in Bijnor district,India using geographic information system and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process

Land suitability evaluation is prerequisite for assessing the limitations for sustainable land use planning. We used ten site specific criteria (rainfall, texture, drainage, soil depth, slope, distance to major road, distance to nearest sugar mill, erosion hazard, risk of flooding and pH) and applied weighted multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) technique in a geographic information system (GIS) environment to evaluate land suitability for sugarcane cultivation in Bijnor district, India. The weightage of all the parameters was calculated through fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Sugarcane suitability map was prepared integrating various parameters through weighted overlay analysis. The map was categorized as highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3) and unsuitable (N). The analysis revealed that of the total cultivable land of the district, largest area (61%) was highly suitable followed by moderately suitable (24%), marginally suitable (7%) and unsuitable (8%) for sugarcane cultivation. Nagina, Najibabad and Bijnor sub-districts need attention of land managers and policy makers to remove the limitations and increase the suitability of sugarcane in such areas. Only 7% area was unsuitable for sugarcane cultivation. Slope, soil depth and erosion hazard were the major limiting factors making the land unsuitable for sugarcane cultivation. Therefore, these areas should be given priority for land and soil restoration efforts. The study showed effectiveness of integrated GIS and MCE approach for land suitability analysis of sugarcane.     

A decision support system using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for the optimal environmental reclamation of an open-pit mine

The selection of an optimal reclamation method is one of the most important factors in open-pit design and production planning. It also affects economic considerations in open-pit design as a function of plan location and depth. Furthermore, the selection is a complex multi-person, multi-criteria decision problem. The group decision-making process can be improved by applying a systematic and logical approach to assess the priorities based on the inputs of several specialists from different functional areas within the mine company. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) can be very useful in involving several decision makers with different conflicting objectives to arrive at a consensus decision. In this paper, the selection of an optimal reclamation method using an AHP-based model was evaluated for coal production in an open-pit coal mine located at Seyitomer region in Turkey. The use of the proposed model indicates that it can be applied to improve the group decision making in selecting a reclamation method that satisfies optimal specifications. Also, it is found that the decision process is systematic and using the proposed model can reduce the time taken to select a optimal method.     

Prioritization of cyclone preparedness activities in humanitarian supply chains using fuzzy analytical network process

Natural Hazards - During recent years, the importance of preparedness has increased with increasing frequency of disasters and the cost associated with relief and response activities. Therefore,...     

Assessing soil erosion risk in karst area using fuzzy modeling and method of the analytical hierarchy process

Soil erosion is a geo-ecological problem in Southwest China, which can result in karst rocky desertification when it is very serious. The grade delineation of soil erosion risk can be used as a guide for controlling regional and hierarchical soil erosion, and provide scientific references for restraining rocky desertification. Chaotian Town, an area of Karst Mountains and hills in Guilin, northeast part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, was chosen as the study area. Settlement buffer, roadway buffer, lithology, slope, elevation, and aspect were selected as the main indicators of soil erosion in the karst area. After the indicators were scored by fuzzy modeling, the potential risk of soil erosion was quantified using indicator-weight union method. Five grades of soil erosion risk were delineated based on Geographic Information System. The grades of minimal, low, medium, high, and extreme soil erosion risk accounted for 1.62, 19.46, 52.35, 24.86, and 1.71 %, respectively. As a whole, the soil erosion risk was moderate, because the proportion data of different grades of soil erosion risk were a normal distribution, and about 52.35 % of the study area was in the medium grade. Soil erosion risk was higher in the southeast of the study area and lower in the northwest. Obvious variances have been found in the grade distribution of soil erosion risk, corresponding to different indicators.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in Tehri reservoir rim region,Uttarakhand

A comprehensive use of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method in landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) has been presented for rim region of Tehri reservoir. Using remote sensing data, various landslide causative factors responsible for inducing instability in the area were derived. Ancillary data such as geological map, soil map, and topographic map were also considered along with remote sensing data. Exhaustive field checks were performed to define the credibility of the random landslide conditioning factors considered in this study. Apart from universally acceptable inherent causative factors used in the susceptibility mapping, others such as impact of reservoir impoundment on terrain, topographic wetness index and stream power index were found to be important causative factors in rim region of the Tehri reservoir. The AHP method was used to acquire weights of factors and their classes respectively. Weights achieved from AHP method matched with the existing field conditions. Acceptable consistency ratio (CR) value was achieved for each AHP matrix. Weights of each factor were integrated with weighted sum technique and a landslide susceptibility index map was generated. Jenk’s natural break classifier was used to classify LSI map into very low, low, moderate, high and very high landslide susceptible classes. Validation of the susceptibility map was performed using cumulative percentage/success rate curve technique. Area under curve value of the success rate curve was converted to percentage validation accuracy and a reasonable 78.7% validation accuracy was achieved.     

Applications of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP) for industrial site selections in Isfahan,Iran

Industrial sites are key factors in urban and regional land use planning. Therefore, determining the location of industrial areas is a critical and complex process for development and success. Industrial site selection aims in identifying the most suitable sites for industry creation, considering a set of influential criteria. Therefore, site selection generally and industrial site selection specifically can be categorised as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem that requires detailed evaluation of various dimensions. This study developed a set of clusters containing 10 selection criteria for industrial site selection in Isfahan metropolitan area, Iran. The relationships between the criteria and clusters were modelled and analysed using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP). AHP and ANP agree in finding distance to water bodies and distance to other industries as the most and least important selection criteria. Four patches have been identified as suitable alternatives for industrial construction. While AHP found Borkhar Patch 1 as the most appropriate alternative, ANP demonstrated the superiority of Ardestan Patch over others. Conducting a sensitivity analysis for the models confirmed both models robustness in industrial site selection decisions.     

Minimization of environmental risk of landfill site using fuzzy logic, analytical hierarchy process, and weighted linear combination methodology in a geographic information system environment

This paper presents a GIS-based multi-criteria site selection for municipal solid waste landfilling in Ariana Region, Tunisia. Based on the regional characteristics, literature related to disposal sites and waste management, local expert, data availability and assessments via questionnaires, 15 constraints, and 5 factors were built in the hierarchical structure for landfill suitability by multi-criteria evaluation. The factors are divided into environmental and socio-economic groups. The methodology is used for preliminary assessment of the 20-year most useful lifetime suitable landfilling sites by combining fuzzy set theory, weighted linear combination (WLC) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in a GIS environment. The criteria standardization is undertaken by application of different fuzzy membership functions. The fuzzy membership functions shape and their control points are chosen through assessment of expert opinion. The weightings of each selection criterion are assigned depending on the relative importance using the AHP methodology. The WLC approach is applied for alternative landfill sites prioritization. The results of this study showed five potential candidate sites, which are generated when the environmental factors are valued higher than socio-economic factors. These sites are ranked in descending order using the ELECTRE III method. However, the final decision will require further detailed geotechnical and hydrogeological analyses toward the protection of groundwater as well as surface water.     

Application of fuzzy logic and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to landslide susceptibility mapping at Haraz watershed, Iran

The main goal of this study is to produce landslide susceptibility maps of a landslide-prone area (Haraz) in Iran by using both fuzzy logic and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) models. At first, landslide locations were identified by aerial photographs and field surveys, and a total of 78 landslides were mapped from various sources. Then, the landslide inventory was randomly split into a training dataset 70?% (55 landslides) for training the models and the remaining 30?% (23 landslides) was used for validation purpose. Twelve data layers, as the landslide conditioning factors, are exploited to detect the most susceptible areas. These factors are slope degree, aspect, plan curvature, altitude, lithology, land use, distance from rivers, distance from roads, distance from faults, stream power index, slope length, and topographic wetness index. Subsequently, landslide susceptibility maps were produced using fuzzy logic and AHP models. For verification, receiver operating characteristics curve and area under the curve approaches were used. The verification results showed that the fuzzy logic model (89.7?%) performed better than AHP (81.1?%) model for the study area. The produced susceptibility maps can be used for general land use planning and hazard mitigation purpose.     

Application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for flood risk assessment: a case study in Malda district of West Bengal,India

A field experiment was conducted from 2 May 2010 to 1 May 2012 in the Gurbantunggut Desert, the second largest desert in China, to investigate saltation activity and its threshold velocity, and their relations with atmospheric and soil conditions. The results showed that saltation activity occurred more frequently during 08:00–20:00 Local Standard Time in spring and summer, with air temperatures between 20.0 and 29.0 °C, water vapor pressures between 0.6 and 0.9 kPa, soil temperatures between 25.0 and 30.0 °C, and a soil moisture lower than 0.04 m³/m³. At 2 m height, the saltation threshold velocity varied between 11.1 and 13.9 m/s, with a mean of 12.5 m/s. Threshold velocity showed clear seasonal variations in the following sequence: spring (11.7 m/s) < autumn (12.7 m/s) < summer (13.6 m/s). Affected by soil conditions, aeolian sand transport was weak, with an average annual aeolian sand that transported across a section (1.0 m × 2.0 m) of less than 6.0 kg.     

The impact of human activities in the Malia coastal area (Crete) on groundwater quality

The evaluation of the long-term effects of seawater intrusion into the aquifers due to negative water balance and nitrate pollution of drinking-water quality due to human activities requires detailed knowledge of both the transport of the chemical constituents and the geochemical processes within aquifers. Hydrogeological and hydrochemical studies in the unconfined aquifer of Malia have provided the necessary data to define the areas at increased risk from these phenomena. The solution of the second Fick's low under given boundary conditions gave an estimate of the propagation of groundwater pollution by NO₃ ^–. Additionally, in order to simulate the ion concentration changes during a period, for example a period of positive water balance or refreshening, groundwater transport and cation exchange reactions were modelled using the code PHREEQM. Received: 25 July 1997 · Accepted: 4 November 1997     

Correction to: Application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for flood risk assessment: a case study in Malda district of West Bengal,India

Flow pulsations in two-phase and single-phase near-critical fluids are considered as a possible source of ultra-low-frequency seismo-electromagnetic variations. The conditions for generation and suppression of density wave instability in the crust are analyzed and the surface electromagnetic effect due to streaming potential generation is estimated. The upper limit of amplitude of magnetic field variations due to density wave instability is about 0.1 nT for single-phase supercritical and 1 nT for two-phase flow oscillations in the frequency range \(10^{-4}{-}10^{-2}~\) Hz for the temperature gradients and spatial scales possible during strike slip events. The signal is characterized by a decaying amplitude with typical relaxation time of about several quasi-periods. The possibility of generation of very low-frequency flow pulsations in two-phase fluids via individual bubble evolution and interaction with external acoustic waves is discussed.     

Municipal solid waste landfill siting by using GIS and analytical hierarchy process (AHP): a case study in Qom city,Iran

Qom is the eighth most populated city in center of Iran, and its population growth rate is among the highest in this country. Th presence of a Great Salt Lake, petroleum potential and tourism attractions in this city sheds light on the importance of how solid waste landfill locations should be disposed, located and managed as an environmental issue. Considering the key parameters in landfill site selection, in this study a series of location analysis have been conducted to locate optimum regions for municipal solid waste disposal, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographical information system (GIS). The main factors in selecting the suitable location for waste disposal include geomorphology–hydrography, environmental–social factors and design criteria, each of which are subdivided into several categories. Criteria are selected according to the regional condition; therefore, important factors such as distance from sea and forested areas were not considered. In the next step, digital layers are weighted and classified according to the available standards and expert judgment. Then, analytical multi-criteria decision-making algorithms as AHP and weighted linear combination are applied upon existing layers in GIS. The results show that by implementing the AHP method in this region only 7% of the study area has a very good and appropriate condition for landfill location and the field observation confirms them. Finally, considering the environmental effects of landfill, appropriate locations are suggested.     

Spatial assessment of the potential of groundwater quality using fuzzy AHP in GIS

In this study, fuzzy AHP method is used for extracting the water quality indicators based on the Schuler standard and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines during a 20-year period. For this purpose, the best fit of the zoning model was performed. Furthermore, by comparing the standard errors, the continuous Raster layer was extracted from the important parameters used in generating the qualitative potential assessment index. The classified layer was generated by integrating continuous layers in the GIS environment and with the use of Python programming. The similarity of the outputs of both methods indicates the presence of large sections of aquifers in the middle and southwestern regions of Iran in the “temporarily drinkable” and “bad” classes. The calculations showed that the majority of aquifers that were located in the “inappropriate” class during the first 10 years fell to less valuable class types. Based on the results of the model, there is a direct correlation between the drop in water resources and the decline in the quality indices. In addition, in the Urmia and Bushehr coastal aquifers, due to excessive water withdrawal and salty water penetration, the quality of the table water is in critical condition. Based on the results of the research, the aquifers in the range of Zagros and Alborz mountains show the least change in water quality. The reason for this is the depth of the aquifer and the ability to recharge it.     

Monte Carlo simulation-aided analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for flood susceptibility mapping in Gabes Basin (southeastern Tunisia)

Flash floods are among the most severe hazards which have disastrous environmental, human, and economic impacts. This study is interested in the characterization of flood hazard in Gabes Catchment (southeastern Tunisia), considered as an important step for flood management in the region. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system are applied to delineate and characterize flood areas. A spatial database was developed based on geological map, digital elevation model, land use, and rainfall data in order to evaluate the different factors susceptible to affect flood analysis. However, the uncertainties that are associated with AHP techniques may significantly impact the results. Flood susceptibility is analyzed as a function of weights using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and Global sensitivity analysis. AHP and MC–AHP models gave similar results. However, compared to AHP approach, MC–AHP confidence intervals (95%) of the overall scores had small overlaps. Results obtained were validated by remote sensing data for the zones that showed very high flood hazard during the extreme rainfall event of June 2014 that hit the study basin.     

A new model of geo-environmental impact assessment of mining: a multiple-criteria assessment method integrating Fuzzy-AHP with fuzzy synthetic ranking

A new evaluation model for geo-environmental impact assessment of mining (GEIAM) is proposed. The evaluation framework in this model considers three groups of criteria, namely, geo-hazards risks, environmental risks, and resource damages. Fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to establish a multiple-criteria evaluation system and simultaneously command weighting to avoid vagueness and ambiguity in expert judgment. Membership function was employed to deal with the vagueness boundary problem of indices scoring and to help complete the ultimate fuzzy synthetic ranking. The model expresses the evaluation results with an integrated objective ranking and three criteria ranking. It was tentatively applied to assess an opencast limestone mine. The results indicated that the indices sequences were consistent with the mine background and the expert professional experience and better revealed the impact of geo-hazards risks. Specific assessment factors such as geo-hazards potential, engineering geological condition, and hydrogeological condition were prioritized for further improvement. Compared with existing GEIAM evaluation methods, the proposed assessment model focuses more on expert experience and judgment, breaks through the limitation of local estimation to variable attributes and, most importantly, satisfies the multi-purpose requirements to incorporate real considerations together for mining safety, geo-environmental protection, and natural resource conservation.     

GIS-based vulnerability mapping of the coastal stretch from Puri to Konark in Odisha using analytical hierarchy process

Natural Hazards - The 485-km-long coastline of Odisha, a state in the northeastern part of the Indian peninsula, is potentially vulnerable to several disaster events that take place frequently. In...     

Identification of potential groundwater recharge zones in Vaigai upper basin,Tamil Nadu,using GIS-based analytical hierarchical process (AHP) technique

Groundwater recharge is an important process for the management of both surface and subsurface water resources. The present study utilizes the application of analytical hierarchical process (AHP) on geospatial analysis for the exploration of potential zones for artificial groundwater recharge along Vaigai upper basin in the Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India. The morphology of earth surface features such as geology, geomorphology, soil types, land use and land cover, drainage, lineament, and aquifers influence the groundwater recharge in either direct or indirect way. These thematic layers are extracted from Landsat ETM+ image, topographical map, and other collateral data sources. In this study, the multilayers were weighed accordingly to the magnitude of groundwater recharge potential. The AHP technique is a pair-wise matrix analytical method was used to calculate the geometric mean and normalized weight of individual parameters. Further, the normalized weighted layers are mathematically overlaid for preparation of groundwater recharge potential zone map. The results revealed that 21.8 km² of the total area are identified as high potential for groundwater recharge. The gentle slope areas in middle-east and central part have been moderately potential for groundwater recharge. Hilly terrains in south are considered as unsuitable zone for groundwater recharge processes.     

A review of landslide hazards in Japan and assessment of their susceptibility using an analytical hierarchic process (AHP) method

In spite of its small size, Japan suffers many landslide disasters due to intense rainfall and earthquakes. This article describes the distribution and topography of these landslides, and a new method of evaluating the susceptibility, the analytical hierarchic process (AHP). The method assigns scores to each factor of micro-topography of landslide-prone areas identified in aerial photographs, and assesses the susceptibility of landslide from the total score. In addition, a method of simulating sliding mass runout is briefly presented for the designating sediment-related disaster warning areas.