an Integrated Application of Ahp and Gis for Environmental Suitability Analysis for Villagization Site Selection:the Case of Homosha Woreda, Western Ethiopia
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Date
2014-06-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Though Environmental Suitability Analysis for Villagization Sites of human settlement is a naturally complex multi-dimensional process, that involving multiple criteria and actors. However, Geographical Information System (GIS) integrated with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) provide more reliable, flexible and accurate information to the decision makers by evaluating the criteria and factors for performing environmental suitability analysis. This study is aimed to develop a new environmentally suitable sites selection approach for villagization using AHP and GIS. The aim in integrating GIS and AHP is to provide reliable and quality information to the decision makers and other stakeholders in order to collect scattered households into selected nucleated villages. The study was carried out in Homosha Woreda, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional state, West Ethiopia that has area coverage of 705 km2. Major physical (Topography, Climate and Land-use/land-cover) and socio- economic (school, water points, health centers and distance from road) variables were considered for the environmental suitability analysis. All data were analyzed and stored in ArcGIS environment and the factor maps were generated. Pairwise Comparison Matrix known as AHP was applied and weights for criteria and factors were calculated. Weighted overlay techniques are applied to arrive at the final environmental suitability mapping. The results showed that 100% of Homosha Woreda has warm temperate climatic condition. Similarly, 22.4 % and 51.2% of Homosha Woreda has highly suitable socio-economic and topographic condition for human settlement respectively. In relation to land-use/land-cover, 37.5% of Homosha Woreda is covered by forest and agriculture, which is marginally and currently not suitable for human settlement. The overall weighted environmental suitability analysis of the area indicates that only 1.2 % of the area has high suitability condition. The remaining 63.4%, 34.6% and 0.8% of the area are moderately, marginally and currently not suitable as villagization sites for human settlement.
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Keywords
AHP, Homosha Woreda, Pairwise Comparisons, Suitability Analysis, Villagization