A Comparative Study of the AHP and TOPSIS Techniques for Dam Site Selection Using GIS: A Case Study of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran

The application of multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques in real-life problems has increased in recent years. The need to build advanced decision models with higher capabilities that can support decision-making in a broad spectrum of applications, promotes the integration of MCDM techniques with applicable systems, including artificial intelligence, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) are among the most widely adopted MCDM techniques capable of resolving water resources challenges. A critical problem associated with water resource management is dam site selection. This paper presents a comparative analysis of TOPSIS and AHP in the context of decision-making using GIS for dam site selection. The comparison was made based on geographic and water quality criteria. The geographical criteria are geology, land use, sediment, erosion, slope, groundwater, and discharge. The water quality criteria include Soluble Sodium Percentage, Total Dissolved Solid, Potential of Hydrogen, and Electrical Conductivity of water. A ratio estimation procedure was used to determine the weights of these criteria. Both methods were applied for selection of optimal sites for dams in the Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. The results show that the TOPSIS method is better suited to the problem of dam site selection for this study area. Actual locations of dams constructed in the area were used to verify the results of both methods.

[1]  Bernard Roy,et al.  Classement et choix en présence de points de vue multiples , 1968 .

[2]  Thomas L. Saaty,et al.  DECISION MAKING WITH THE ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS , 2008 .

[3]  Ching-Lai Hwang,et al.  Methods for Multiple Attribute Decision Making , 1981 .

[4]  Wolfgang Rauch,et al.  Comparison of Multi-Criteria Decision Support Methods for Integrated Rehabilitation Prioritization , 2017 .

[5]  Abbas Alimohammadi,et al.  COMPARISON THE AHP AND FUZZY-AHP DECISION MAKING METHODS IN UNDERGROUND DAM SITE SELECTION IN TALEGHAN BASIN , 2012 .

[6]  S. L. Tung,et al.  A comparison of the Saaty's AHP and modified AHP for right and left eigenvector inconsistency , 1998, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[7]  Hadi Farhadian,et al.  Numerical analysis of steady-state groundwater inflow into Tabriz line 2 metro tunnel, northwestern Iran, with special consideration of model dimensions , 2016, Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment.

[8]  Serkan Balli,et al.  Operating System Selection Using Fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS Methods , 2009 .

[9]  Timothy C. Coburn,et al.  GIS and Multicriteria Decision Analysis , 2000 .

[11]  Guo H. Huang,et al.  A MCDM-based expert system for climate-change impact assessment and adaptation planning - A case study for the Georgia Basin, Canada , 2008, Expert Syst. Appl..

[12]  Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng,et al.  A weight-assessing method with habitual domains , 1998, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[13]  Xinyi Dai.  Dam site selection using an integrated method of AHP and GIS for decision making support in Bortala, Northwest China , 2016 .

[14]  B. Theilen-Willige,et al.  Seismic Hazard Analysis along Koyna Dam Area, Western Maharashtra, India: A Contribution of Remote Sensing and GIS , 2016 .

[15]  A. Hassani,et al.  A comparative study on evaluation of steady-state groundwater inflow into a circular shallow tunnel , 2018 .

[16]  Eun-Sung Chung,et al.  Prioritizing the best sites for treated wastewater instream use in an urban watershed using fuzzy TOPSIS , 2013 .

[17]  Tsan-Ming Choi,et al.  Supplier Selection Problems in Fashion Business Operations with Sustainability Considerations , 2015 .

[18]  Kamran Rezaie,et al.  Application of Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Analysis for Evaluating and Selecting the Best Location for Construction of Underground Dam , 2013 .

[19]  Dragan Ćoćkalo,et al.  Application of multi criteria decision making to urban planning: A review , 2016 .

[20]  S. Jellali,et al.  Ranking suitable sites for irrigation with reclaimed water in the Nabeul-Hammamet region (Tunisia) using GIS and AHP-multicriteria decision analysis , 2012 .

[21]  Rouzbeh Shad,et al.  Developing an Iranian green building assessment tool using decision making methods and geographical information system: Case study in Mashhad city , 2017 .

[22]  Alev Taskin Gumus,et al.  A Fuzzy TOPSIS Approach Based on Trapezoidal Numbers to Material Selection Problem , 2012 .

[23]  Tamer Eren,et al.  A combined goal programming – AHP approach supported with TOPSIS for maintenance strategy selection in hydroelectric power plants , 2017 .

[24]  Minatour Yasser,et al.  Earth dam site selection using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP): a case study in the west of Iran , 2013, Arabian Journal of Geosciences.

[25]  G. Manfredi,et al.  A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DECISION MAKING METHODS FOR THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF RC BUILDINGS , 2008 .

[26]  Ewa Roszkowska,et al.  Multi-criteria Decision Making Models by Applying the Topsis Method to Crisp and Interval Data , 2011 .

[27]  Ulla Mörtberg,et al.  A Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis Approach for Locating Suitable Sites for Construction of Subsurface Dams in Northern Pakistan , 2014, Water Resources Management.

[28]  Jutta Geldermann,et al.  Selection of the Best Inland Waterway Structure: A Multicriteria Decision Analysis Approach , 2015, Water Resources Management.

[29]  Patrick T. Hester,et al.  An Analysis of Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods , 2013 .

[30]  Daniela Fuchs-Hanusch,et al.  A framework for water loss management in developing countries under fuzzy environment: Integration of Fuzzy AHP with Fuzzy TOPSIS , 2016, Expert Syst. Appl..

[31]  Hanjin Hu,et al.  Building Information Modeling (BIM) for transportation infrastructure – Literature review, applications, challenges, and recommendations , 2018, Automation in Construction.

[32]  Vasiliki Balioti,et al.  Multi-Criteria Decision Making Using TOPSIS Method Under Fuzzy Environment. Application in Spillway Selection , 2018, Proceedings.

[33]  C. Armenakis,et al.  Flood Risk Mapping Using GIS and Multi-Criteria Analysis: A Greater Toronto Area Case Study , 2018, Geosciences.

[34]  Mohammad Hossein Fazel Zarandi,et al.  Proposing a model for operating room scheduling based on fuzzy surgical duration , 2016, 2016 Annual Conference of the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society (NAFIPS).

[35]  Farzad Piadeh,et al.  Assessment of sustainability of a hybrid of advanced treatment technologies for recycling industrial wastewater in developing countries: Case study of Iranian industrial parks , 2018 .

[36]  H. Skilodimou,et al.  Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for an Abandoned Quarry in the Evros Region (NE Greece) , 2018 .

[37]  A. Mollalo,et al.  Geographic Information System‐Based Analysis of the Spatial and Spatio‐Temporal Distribution of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Golestan Province, North‐East of Iran , 2014, Zoonoses and public health.

[38]  Z. Yue.  A method for group decision-making based on determining weights of decision makers using TOPSIS , 2011 .

[39]  C. Evangelides,et al.  FUZZY MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING METHOD FOR DAM SELECTION , 2013 .

[40]  Renato A. Krohling,et al.  Fuzzy TOPSIS for group decision making: A case study for accidents with oil spill in the sea , 2011, Expert Syst. Appl..

[41]  Ümran Şengül,et al.  Fuzzy TOPSIS method for ranking renewable energy supply systems in Turkey , 2015 .

[42]  T. McMahon,et al.  Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification , 2007 .

[43]  G. Glass,et al.  Machine learning approaches in GIS-based ecological modeling of the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi, a vector of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Golestan province, Iran. , 2018, Acta tropica.

[44]  M. Beck,et al.  Environmental and livelihood impacts of dams: common lessons across development gradients that challenge sustainability , 2012 .

[45]  A. Jamali,et al.  Site Suitability Analysis for Subsurface Dams Using Boolean and Fuzzy Logic in Arid Watersheds , 2018, Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management.

[46]  B. Rudolf,et al.  World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated , 2006 .

[47]  K. M. Hyde,et al.  A distance-based uncertainty analysis approach to multi-criteria decision analysis for water resource decision making. , 2005, Journal of environmental management.

[48]  Aaron Costin,et al.  Next Generation of Transportation Infrastructure Management: Fusion of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) , 2019 .

[49]  Ravi Shankar,et al.  An STEEP-fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS framework for evaluation and selection of thermal power plant location: A case study from India , 2012 .

[50]  Thomas L. Saaty,et al.  On the invalidity of fuzzifying numerical judgments in the Analytic Hierarchy Process , 2007, Math. Comput. Model..

[51]  Ali A. Alesheikh,et al.  A Novel Approach to Site Selection: Collaborative Multi-Criteria Decision Making through Geo-Social Network (Case Study: Public Parking) , 2018, ISPRS Int. J. Geo Inf..

[52]  C. Willmott,et al.  Ambiguities inherent in sums-of-squares-based error statistics , 2009 .

[53]  J. Gagné.  Literature Review , 2018, Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

[54]  Twana O. Abdullah,et al.  Possibility of Groundwater Pollution in Halabja Saidsadiq Hydrogeological Basin, Iraq Using Modified DRASTIC Model Based on AHP and Tritium Isotopes , 2018, Geosciences.

[55]  C. Kibert,et al.  Thermal performance analysis of a traditional passive cooling system in Dezful, Iran , 2019, Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology.

[56]  Rohan K. Gavade.  Multi-Criteria Decision Making : An overview of different selection problems and methods , 2014 .

[57]  Michael F. Goodchild,et al.  Reimagining the history of GIS , 2018, Ann. GIS.

[58]  Akbar A. Javadi,et al.  AN INTEGRATED DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR DAM SITE SELECTION , 2015 .

[59]  N. Malys,et al.  Comparative analysis of MCDM methods for the assessment of sustainable housing affordability , 2016 .

[60]  Philip M. Fearnside,et al.  Environmental and Social Impacts of Hydroelectric Dams in Brazilian Amazonia: Implications for the Aluminum Industry , 2016 .

[61]  Kamal Ahmed,et al.  Weighting Methods and their Effects on Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model Outcomes in Water Resources Management , 2014 .

[62]  Thomas L. Saaty,et al.  Rank from comparisons and from ratings in the analytic hierarchy/network processes , 2006, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[63]  Bahram Gharabaghi,et al.  The optimal dam site selection using a group decision-making method through fuzzy TOPSIS model , 2018, Environment Systems and Decisions.

[64]  A. Crosato,et al.  Morphodynamic Trends of the Ribb River, Ethiopia, Prior to Dam Construction , 2018, Geosciences.

[65]  David N. Siriba,et al.  Site Selection for an Earth Dam in Mbeere North, Embu County—Kenya , 2018 .

[66]  Farzad Piadeh,et al.  Present situation of wastewater treatment in the Iranian industrial estates: Recycle and reuse as a solution for achieving goals of eco-industrial parks , 2014 .

[67]  Thomas L. Saaty,et al.  Decision-making with the AHP: Why is the principal eigenvector necessary , 2003, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[68]  Theodor J. Stewart,et al.  Multiple criteria decision analysis - an integrated approach , 2001 .

[69]  S. Guleria,et al.  Geotechnical Investigation of Black Cotton Soils , 2015 .

[70]  Mahmood Shafiee,et al.  Determination of the Most Suitable Technology Transfer Strategy for Wind Turbines Using an Integrated AHP-TOPSIS Decision Model , 2017 .

[71]  Mohammad Hossein Fazel Zarandi,et al.  Double coverage ambulance location modeling using fuzzy traveling time , 2016, 2016 Annual Conference of the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society (NAFIPS).

[72]  Semih Onüt,et al.  Transshipment site selection using the AHP and TOPSIS approaches under fuzzy environment. , 2008, Waste management.

[73]  Dickson Lukose,et al.  Using statistical models and case-based reasoning in claims prediction: experience from a real-world problem , 1999, Knowl. Based Syst..

[74]  Kenneth Mubea,et al.  GIS and Remote-Sensing Application in Archaeological Site Mapping in the Awsard Area (Morocco) , 2018, Geosciences.

[75]  Bertrand Mareschal,et al.  Prométhée: a new family of outranking methods in multicriteria analysis , 1984 .