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.     

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.     

Assessment of flood hazard based on natural and anthropogenic factors using analytic hierarchy process (AHP)

Flooding is the most common natural hazard in Greece, and most of low-lying urban centers are flood-prone areas. Assessment of flood hazard zones is a necessity for rational management of watersheds. In this study, the coupling of the analytical hierarchy process and geographical information systems were used, in order to assess flood hazard, based either on natural or on anthropogenic factors. The proposed method was applied on Kassandra Peninsula, in Northern Greece. The morphometric and hydrographic characteristics of the watersheds were calculated. Moreover, the natural flood genesis factors were examined, and subsequently, the anthropogenic interventions within stream beds were recorded. On the basis of the above elements, two flood hazard indexes were defined, separately for natural and anthropogenic factors. According to the results of these indexes, the watersheds of the study area were grouped into hazard classes. At the majority of watersheds, the derived hazard class was medium (according to the classification) due to natural factors and very high due to anthropogenic. The results were found to converge to historical data of flood events revealing the realistic representation of hazard on the relating flood hazard maps.     

GIS-based multi-criteria earthquake hazards evaluation using analytic hierarchy process for a nuclear power plant site,west Alexandria,Egypt

Nuclear power plants are designed to prevent the hazardous effects of the earthquakes and any external events to keep the safety of the plant. Ninety-one shallow seismic refraction profiles were performed to determine shear wave velocity of the engineering layers at the site of El Dabaa area that is situated to the northern coastline of Egypt for seismic hazard microzonation evaluation according to hazard index values. A microzonation is a procedure of delineating an area into individual zones having different ranks of numerous seismic hazards. This will aid in classifying areas of high seismic risk which is vigorous for industrial design of nuclear structures. The site response analysis requires the characterization of subsurface materials considering local subsurface profiles of the site. Site classification of the area under investigation was undertaken using P- and S-waves and available borehole data. The studied nuclear power plant site has been characterized as per NEHRP site classification using an average velocity of transverse wave (V _s ³⁰ ) of depth 30 m which acquired from seismic survey. This site was categorized into two site classes: the major one is “site class B,” and the minor one is “site class A.” The attenuation coefficient, the damping ratio and the liquefaction potential are geotechnical parameters which were derived from P- and S-waves, and have their major effects on the seismic hazard contribution. 1D ground response analysis was carried out in the places of seismic profiles inside the site for estimating the amount of ground quaking using peak ground acceleration (PGA), site amplification, predominant frequency and spectral accelerations on the surface of ground by the DEEPSOIL software package. Seven factors (criteria) deliberated to assess the earthquake hazard index map are: (1) the peak ground acceleration at the bedrock, (2) the amplification of the site, (3) the liquefaction potential, (4) the main frequency of the earthquake signal, (5) the average V _s of the first 30 m from the ground surface, (6) the depth to the groundwater and (7) the depth to the bedrock. These features were exemplified in normalized maps after uniting them to 0–1 scores according to some criteria by the minimum and maximum values as linear scaling points. Multi-criteria evaluation is an application of multi-criteria decision analysis theory that used for developing a seismic hazard index map for a nuclear power plant site at El Dabaa area in ArcGIS 10.1 software. Two models of decision making were used in this work for seismic hazard microzonation. The analytic hierarchy process model was applied to conduct the relative weights of the criteria by pairwise comparison using Expert Choice Software. An earthquake hazard index map was combined using Weighted Linear Combination model of the raster weighted overlay tool of ArcGIS 10.1. The results indicated that most of the study site of the nuclear power plant is a region of low to moderate hazard; its values are ranging between 0.2 and 0.4.     

Landfill site selection using integrated fuzzy logic and analytic network process (F-ANP)

Locating a suitable place to dispose the municipal solid wastes hygienically (sanitary landfill) is one of the fundamental subjects relating the environmental stability of cities and, in general, the human settlements. This final stage of solid waste management requires observance of a series of principles and criteria mainly including environmental, social, economical, and general acceptance criteria. The set of these criteria along with their sub-criteria causes some complexities in decision making for landfill site selection. Considering effective parameters and criteria, we developed an integrated fuzzy logic and analytic network process (i.e. F-ANP) to locate a suitable location for landfilling municipal solid wastes generated in Kahak Town, Qom, Iran. Our findings revealed that integration of fuzzy logic and ANP can give better idea compared with other models like AHP, fuzzy logic, and ANP (individually). Therefore, this model can be applied in site selection for landfill of other similar places.     

层次分析法(AHP)在三江平原地质环境质量评价中的应用

应用层次分析法(AHP)对影响三江平原环境地质质量的岩石、土壤和水3个子系统分别进行评价,通过分析影响各子系统的主要因子,建立子系统层次结构模型和质量指数数学模型,得出各子系统的质量指数,从而评价出各个子系统的质量状况。在此基础上,建立地质环境系统质量评价的层次结构模型和数学模型,计算出地质环境质量指数,并对该地区的质量状况进行评价,得出三江地区总体环境地质状况是好的结论。     

基于层次分析法的盐穴储气库选址评价方法研究

随着我国盐岩地下储气库大规模兴建的开始,如何对各目标盐矿区进行储气库库址的评价和优选已成为国内储气库建设面临的首要问题。在对盐穴储气库选址的影响因素进行详细归类和分析的基础上,应用层次分析法建立盐穴储气库选址综合评价体系的目标层次结构模型,并结合专家调查法,确定了该模型中18项基本指标在整个选址评价体系中所占的权重。综合本领域专家的意见和相关的理论研究成果,提出了选址体系中各基本指标的适宜度等级划分标准,以及库址综合适宜度等级评价标准,综合各指标的权重计算结果,建立了目标库址综合建库适宜值P的计算公式,为我国盐穴储气库库址的评价和优选提供了可行方法和理论依据。将该方法应用于湖北云应盐矿的盐穴储气库库址评价中,评价结果与专家论证意见一致,表明了该方法的合理性。     

基于AHP法的侵蚀离子对水泥土桩强度影响研究

为了计算主要影响水泥土桩力学性能的侵蚀离子的权重系数,找出腐蚀弱化水泥土桩强度的各侵蚀离子因素之间的相互量化关系,引入模糊层次分析法(AHP)理论,通过建立递阶层次分析体系,构造比较判断矩阵,利用和法计算各级因素的最大特征值λ_max,一致性检验及计算权重,最后得出可靠、准确的权重系数 , 这为实际在污染与侵蚀土体上设计与施工水泥土桩复合地基提供了参考依据。     

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.     

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability based on a modified DRASTIC model, GIS and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method: the case of Egirdir Lake basin (Isparta, Turkey)

A DRASTIC-model method based on a geographic information system (GIS) was used to study groundwater vulnerability in Egirdir Lake basin (Isparta, Turkey), an alluvial area that has suffered agricultural pollution. ‘Lineament’ and ‘land use’ were added to the DRASTIC parameters, and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method determined the rating coefficients of each parameter. The effect of lineament and land-use parameters on the resulting vulnerability maps was determined with a single-parameter sensitivity analysis. Of the DRASTIC parameters, land use affects the aquifer vulnerability map most and lineament affects it least, after topography. A simple linear regression analysis assessed the statistical relation between groundwater nitrate concentration and the aquifer vulnerability areas; the highest R ² value was obtained with the modified-DRASTIC-AHP method. The DRASTIC vulnerability map shows that only the shoreline of Egirdir Lake and the alluvium units have high contamination potential. In this respect, the modified DRASTIC vulnerability map is quite similar. According to the modified-DRASTIC-AHP method, the lakeshore areas of Senirkent-Uluborlu and Hoyran plains, and all of the Yalvaç-Gelendost plain, have high contamination potential. Analyses confirm that groundwater nitrate content is high in these areas. By comparison, the modified-DRASTIC-AHP method has provided more valid results.     

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.     

Method of leakage study at the karst dam site. A case study: Khersan 3 Dam,Iran

The excellent topographic condition of the limestone canyons for dam construction may be rejected if they are karstified. Karst features cause the reservoir not to be impermeable enough to permit the water to fill it and leakage occurs and often increases with time. Moreover, karst features may involve the stability of the dam itself. A few operated dam sites at the Zagros Zone encountered a leakage problem. Furthermore, more than 30 dams are presently under study for construction in the Zagros Zone. Karst conditions and leakage potential were investigated at an under-study site (Khersan 3 Dam) for assessing the general methodology for the study of leakage potentials. Conventional methods for studying karst features, geological mapping, geomorphology and extensive borings were applied before the dam was constructed. These methods are not efficient enough to precisely reveal the karst structure, especially hidden and paleokarst, nor the hydrological behaviour of the karst structure in different settings of groundwater flow. Based on the present case study and previous applied approaches by other authors, this paper introduces a methodology by means of karst structure and functioning approaches at local and regional scales that cover the conventional methods and overcome their shortages. The proposed methodology should be applied before construction of a dam and should include three steps (a) recognition of geological and hydrogeological settings, (b) delineation and functioning of the karst system related to the future reservoir, and (c) assessment of the leakage potentials. Following this methodology, the most probable leakage zone(s) and path(s) at the dam site can be highlighted.     

Assessing flood hazard using flood marks and analytic hierarchy process approach: a case study for the 2013 flood event in Quang Nam,Vietnam

The production of flood hazard assessment maps is an important component of flood risk assessment. This study analyses flood hazard using flood mark data. The chosen case study is the 2013 flood event in Quang Nam, Vietnam. The impacts of this event included 17 deaths, 230 injuries, 91,739 flooded properties, 11,530 ha of submerged and damaged agricultural land, 85,080 animals killed and widespread damage to roads, canals, dykes and embankments. The flood mark data include flood depth and flood duration. Analytic hierarchy process method is used to assess the criteria and sub-criteria of the flood hazard. The weights of criteria and sub-criteria are generated based on the judgements of decision-makers using this method. This assessment is combined into a single map using weighted linear combination, integrated with GIS to produce a flood hazard map. Previous research has usually not considered flood duration in flood hazard assessment maps. This factor has a rather strong influence on the livelihood of local communities in Quang Nam, with most agricultural land within the floodplain. A more comprehensive flood hazard assessment mapping process, with the additional consideration of flood duration, can make a significant contribution to flood risk management activities in Vietnam.     

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.     

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.     

基于层次分析法的多元信息成矿预测研究—以西藏洛扎地区为例

本文以正在开展公益性基础地质矿产调查项目的西藏洛扎地区为例,选取SPOT-6、ETM+数据,开展遥感地质解译;选取ASTER数据开展遥感蚀变异常提取;通过1∶5万水系沉积物测量,开展地球化学异常提取;结合已有地质资料等信息,提取该地区成矿影响因子。采用层次分析法对各影响因子进行综合分析,计算出各因子的权重值。利用GIS平台,建立了层次分析评判的综合信息成矿预测模型,圈定了6个成矿远景区,通过野外调查发现了铜铅矿化,为该地区地质矿产调查工作提供了技术支持。     

Role of construction of large dams on river morphology (case study: the Karkheh dam in Iran)

Unfortunately in developing countries, human activities without attention to the environmental aspects damage to nature. For example, construction of large dams dries wetlands in southwest of Iran. Also, construction of dams is a very important factor for morphological changes. The case study of this research is downstream of the Karkheh dam. This dam is the largest Earth dam in Iran and locates in southwest of Iran. It was constructed in 1999. Small sinuosity coefficient of zone near to dam has been illustrated by satellite images in 2002 and 2014. This subject shows instability of this part of reach; also, the results of Shulits equation illustrate that this part is instable. But, increasing of morphological characteristics (sinuosity coefficient, central angle, and relative radius) show that stability of this reach is increasing. Surveying confirm this matter and shows that severe erosion in upstream and sedimentation in downstream of reach is finishing. Also, it is observed that flow discharge reduced (?56 %) after construction of dam and average width of river reduced (?21 %) from 2002 to 2014. In the early years after the construction of the dam, sediment discharge reduced considerably (?14 %) from Pay-e-Pol to Abdol Khan hydrometric stations. Increasing of morphological characteristics (especially at zones near to dam) and decreasing changes of bed level (sedimentation and erosion) prove that effects of dam are overcoming on effects of other factors, and these effects are permanent in long term.     

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.