A Site Suitability Approach to Sustainable Urban Agriculture Using GIS and Decision Analysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Smith ◽  
John Houtman ◽  
Robert M. Stwalley III
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
A Site

scholarly journals Where Do I Allocate My Urban Allotment Gardens? Development of a Site Selection Tool for Three Cities in Benin

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
B. G. J. S. Sonneveld ◽  
M. D. Houessou ◽  
G. J. M. van den Boom ◽  
A. Aoudji
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Allotment Gardens

In the context of rapid urbanization, poorer residents in cities across low- and middle-income countries increasingly experience food and nutrition deficiencies. The United Nations has highlighted urban agriculture (UA) as a viable solution to food insecurity, by empowering the urban poor to produce their own fresh foods and make some profit from surplus production. Despite its potential role in reducing poverty and food insecurity, there appears to be little political will to support urban agriculture. This is seen in unclear political mandates that are sustained by information gaps on selection criteria for UA sites. The research reported here addresses this issue in the form of a decision-making support tool that assesses the suitability of cadastral units and informal plots for allotment gardens in urban and peri-urban areas. The tool was developed and tested for three rapidly expanding cities in Benin, a low-income country in West Africa, based on an ordered logit model that relates a set of 300 expert assessments on site suitability to georeferenced information on biophysical and socio-economic characteristics. Soil, land use, groundwater depth, vicinity to market and women’s safety were significant factors in the assessment. Scaled up across all cadastral units and informal sites, the tool generated detailed baseline maps on site suitability and availability of areas. Its capacity to support policymakers in selecting appropriate sites comes to the fore by reporting changes in site suitability under scenarios of improved soil fertility and enhanced safety for women.

scholarly journals Geotechnical Approach to Early-Stage Site Characterisation of Shallow Wave Energy Sites

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 605
Author(s):  
Craig Heatherington ◽  
Alistair Grinham ◽  
Irene Penesis ◽  
Scott Hunter ◽  
Remo Cossu
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Terrain Analysis ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Site Characterisation ◽  
A Site

Marine renewable energy is still in its infancy and poses serious challenges due to the harsh marine conditions encountered for wave or tidal installations and the survivability of devices. Geophysical and hydrodynamic initial site surveys need to be able to provide repeatable, reliable, and economical solutions. An oscillating water column wave energy converter is to be installed on the west coast of King Island, Tasmania. The location is in a high-energy nearshore environment to take advantage of sustained shoaling non-breaking waves of the Southern Ocean and required site-specific information for the deployment. We provide insight into scalable geophysical site surveys capable of capturing large amounts of data within a short time frame. This data was incorporated into a site suitability model, utilising seabed slope, sediment depth, and water depth to provide the terrain analysis needed to match deployment-specific characteristics. In addition, short-term hydrology and geotechnical work found a highly energetic seabed (near seafloor water velocities <1 m/s) with sufficient bearing capacity (6 MPa). In a highly energetic environment, care was taken to collect the relevant data needed for an assessment of critical information to an emerging technology companies primary project. This is in addition to the malleable methodology for a site suitability model that can incorporate various weighted parameters to prioritise the location for shallow wave energy sites in general.

scholarly journals Site Selection for Joint Logistics over the Shore (JLOTS) Operations Using Multi- Objective Decision Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-95
Author(s):  
Mike Evans ◽  
Mike Lami ◽  
Brendan Madarasz ◽  
Benjamin Smith ◽  
Chris Green
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Selection Protocol ◽  
Operational Criteria ◽  
A Site ◽  
Development Center

As the U.S. military faces an increasing need to deploy across a range of military operations and environments, the ability to establish and sustain logistics support remains a major challenge. The Engineer Research and Development Center is currently developing the Planning Logistics Analysis Network System (PLANS), a decision support tool, to facilitate strategic and operational logistics planning. This paper describes a site selection protocol for logistics operations occurring without a suitable port, commonly referred to as Logistics over-the Shore (LOTS) operations. The model uses multi- objective decision analysis techniques to weight different operational criteria to determine the best overall site for logistics over the shore operations. This tool will enhance the time and accuracy in determining an optimal site that meets the decision maker’s specific operational needs.

Modeling Migratory Patterns of the Eastern Monarch Butterfly

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 42-63
Author(s):  
Karen Kesler ◽  
Rick Bunch
Keyword(s):  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
The Other ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Migratory Cycle ◽  
Migratory Patterns ◽  
Data Layers ◽  
A Site ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Agriculture Development

The purpose of this research was to relate the influence of specific site suitability variables to eastern monarch butterfly migratory patterns and behavior. Elevation, temperature, precipitation, and land use data layers were overlaid to collectively consider how these variables affected the way that butterflies migrated and recolonized during the 2016/2017 migratory cycle. The variables were reclassified into layers ranking suitability as either unsuitable, suitable, or optimal with respective scores of one, three, and five. Three uninhabitable variables were identified that deemed a site unsuitable despite the influence and possible optimal suitability of the other variables. The results of this study indicated that site suitability was a large driving factor for migratory monarchs with a heavier emphasis placed on average temperature and land/cropland use. Possible displaced and sink populations were identified for further study, while the effects of agriculture, development, and climate change were considered regarding flyway connectivity and behavior.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Assessment of Water Sensitive Urban Design Practices based on Multi-criteria Decision Analysis via a Case Study of the University of Melbourne, Australia

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2885
Author(s):  
Hanxiang Xiong ◽  
Yafei Sun ◽  
Xingwei Ren
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Comprehensive Assessment ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Water Sensitive Urban Design ◽  
Final Score ◽  
Green Stormwater Infrastructure ◽  
A Site ◽  
The University

Water sensitive urban design (WSUD), as a typical green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), contains various facilities to decrease the urbanization impacts and enhance the values of amenity, ecosystem, and livability in Australia. Although WSUD has developed over 30 years, existing studies for WSUD performances have sometimes ignored its economic and social benefits, and there is still a lack of an integrated framework to optimize the GSI combinations based on various criteria in a site. This paper aims to utilize “score-rank-select” strategy to comprehensively assess WSUD combination scenarios from functional, economic, social, and environmental aspects, by taking the University of Melbourne (Parkville campus) as a case study. In detail, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was used for weight determination and scenario comparison. The results showed that scenario 4 with 52% green WSUD facilities had the highest assessment score (0.771) among the five scenarios, while the final score (0.758) of scenario 5 was lower than scenario 4 although its green facility proportion reached 69%. The trade-off relation between the proportion of grey and green WSUD facilities was further demonstrated. Additionally, this paper strongly recommends that the MCDA-based comprehensive assessment framework described here can be generally promoted for the water sector to solve the decision-making problems. The use of such a framework can further promote sustainable development by helping water managers to make informed and inclusive decisions involving a variety of factors.

A Model for Selecting Viticultural Sites in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Walter Nowlin ◽  
Rick L. Bunch
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
The North ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
North Carolina Piedmont ◽  
Selection For ◽  
A Site

The North Carolina wine industry is growing at a fast pace. Many new vineyards are being planted with European varieties. Vitis vinifera varieties in general are the most challenging species of grape grown, requiring considerable effort to consistently produce yields of appropriate volume and good quality. The model produced in this research was designed to help guide site selection for V. vinifera vineyards in the North Carolina Piedmont. This is accomplished using a site suitability model and predictive geophysical parameters. The area of interest is Rockingham County, North Carolina. The model consists of four sets of factors each weighted and combined into sub-model composites. These sub-model composites represent the capability/suitability of: topography, soil, land use/land cover, and climate. The four sub-model composites were weighted and combined to produce the final output that summarizes the viticultural site suitability for the study area.

Riverbank Filtration Site Suitability Selection Using Spatial Data Techniques: Case Study for Kota Lama Kiri, Kuala Kangsar

2015 ◽  
Vol 802 ◽  
pp. 557-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Firdaus Abdul Razak ◽  
Md Azlin Md Said ◽  
Rais Yusoh
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Surface Characterization ◽  
Kappa Statistic ◽  
Riverbank Filtration ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Water Supply Management ◽  
Suitable Site ◽  
Suitable Area ◽  
A Site

Site surface characterization is an important factor to identify a suitable area for riverbank filtration (RBF) location. However, selecting the suitable area for RBF location using conventional methods is costly and time consuming, usually restricted to a small area. In this research, a site suitability for RBF location methodology was proposed using spatial data techniques to determine the site suitability of the potential RBF location in Kota Lama Kiri, Kuala Kangsar study area. A high resolution GeoEye-1 satellite imagery acquired in 2012 was classified using the supervised classification process for land cover. The classified image was further analyze using overlaying, buffering and Boolean analysis, to identify the suitable site for RBF based on location, distance from the river and distant from built-up area. In addition, the geology and hydrological data were extracted from published maps, which were then converted and integrated into GIS spatial database. The results show that the classified GeoEye-1 image produces the overall accuracies of 83.50% % with kappa statistic value of 0.806. The site suitability map for the potential RBF locations in the study area were produced confirms the location of an existing RBF well developed by Lembaga Air Perak (LAP). The methodology can be readily used to provide information of suitability area for RBF location in which can be used by water supply management to locate the RBF well for extraction purposes.

scholarly journals Ordering urban agriculture: farmers, experts, the state and the collective management of resources in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabin Korbéogo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Urban Farming ◽  
Political Arena ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Legal Standards ◽  
Management Of Resources ◽  
A Site

This article explores the way land tenure, water flows, and water quality are legally, politically and socially framed in a site in Ouagadougou. It shows that urban agriculture is an important source of revenue for various individuals and groups, and a socio-political arena for state representatives, experts and farmers. The main stakes in these power relationships are the regulation, control and use of natural resources (especially water and land), but also residents’ nutrition and health interests. Public authorities produce and monitor the enforcement of legal standards of water use and hygiene, while farmers struggle individually and collectively to ensure efficient use of land and multiple water sources, sometimes challenging official norms. These competing interests lead sometimes to conflicts – over the use of the resources or the legitimacy of rules that regulate urban farming processes – that are negotiated through institutional or informal bargaining. Urban farming is thus a marker of socio-political and economic dynamics in Ouagadougou.

scholarly journals Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) restoration in Puget Sound: development of a site suitability assessment process

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1066-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Thom ◽  
Jeffrey Gaeckle ◽  
Kate Buenau ◽  
Amy Borde ◽  
John Vavrinec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zostera Marina ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Suitability Assessment ◽  
A Site

scholarly journals GIS-Based Site Suitability Analysis for Solar Power Systems in Mongolia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 3748
Author(s):  
Uranchimeg Munkhbat ◽  
Yosoon Choi
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Total Surface Area ◽  
Suitability Analysis ◽  
Major Power ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
A Site ◽  
Solar Field

In this study, we employed a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach to identify sites suitable for large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant installations in Mongolia. Accordingly, cells of 30 × 30 m were used, and data based on seven criteria, including annual global horizontal radiation, annual average temperature, elevation, slope, slope direction (aspect), and distances from main roads and major power lines, were collected for each cell. GIS layers for these seven criteria were then converted into rated value layers using four grades. The weightings applied to the seven criteria were determined, using an analytical hierarchy process, by ten solar field experts. By combining the seven rating value layers with the weightings, a site suitability map was developed, using good, fair, low, and poor suitability grades. The results showed that sites graded as good, fair, low, and poor accounted for 3.27%, 53.06%, 42.59%, and 1.08% of the total surface area, respectively. Good sites were predominantly located in the southern and central regions of Mongolia. As the current demand for electric power in southern and central regions is low and high, respectively, we concluded that the central region of Mongolia should be prioritized for installing PV power plants.

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