Suitability ModelingBEST PRACTICES

GRETCHEN N. PETERSON, PETERSONGISAuthor of GIS Cartography: A Guide to Effective Map Design

What is suitability modeling?

What is suitability modeling?

Input criteria considerations

What is suitability modeling?

Input criteria considerations

Converting to a common scale

What is suitability modeling?

Input criteria considerations

Converting to a common scale

How to weight criteria

Suitability ModelingHabitat Suitability Modeling

Weighted Summationweighted overlay

multi-criteria evaluation

Multi Criteria Decision Analysis

MCDA

test scores

test scoresmedian age

test scoresmedian ageeducational attainment

test scoresmedian ageeducational attainment

comprehensiveness of data

converting to a common scale

test scores

0-100%

percentage

median age

0-100

years

educational attainment

high school, some college, etc.

categorical

decision maker

iteration

anonymity

documentation

Delphi

rankingrating

trade-off analysispairwise comparison

1 Educational attainment

2 Median age

3 Test scores

ranking

50 Educational attainment

40 Median age

10 Test scores

ratingpoint allocation

100 Educational attainment

75 Median age

20 Test scores

ratingratio estimation

100 5 Educational attainment

75 3.75 Median age

20 1 Test scores

ratingratio estimation

9.75

100 5 0.51 Educational attainment

75 3.75 0.39 Median age

20 1 0.10 Test scores

ratingratio estimation

9.75 1.00

trade-off analysis

A is better than B

B is better than C

pairwise comparison

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

X

X

X

Thomas L. Saaty

pairwise comparison

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

X

X

X

93

6

pairwise comparison

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

1

1

1

93

6

pairwise comparison

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

1

1

1

93

61/3

1/9 1/6

pairwise comparison

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

1

1

1

93

60.33

0.11 0.17

pairwise comparison

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

1

1

1

93

60.33

0.11 0.17

1.44 164.17

normalized comparison matrix

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

1/1.44

1/4.17

1/16

9/163/4.17

6/160.33/1.44

0.11/1.44 0.17/4.17

normalized comparison matrix

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

0.69

0.24

0.06

0.560.72

0.380.23

0.08 0.04

normalized comparison matrix

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

0.69

0.24

0.06

0.560.72

0.380.23

0.08 0.04

average

normalized comparison matrix

educ

atio

nal

atta

inme

nt

medi

an a

ge

test

sco

res

educational attainment

median age

test scores

0.69

0.24

0.06

0.560.72

0.380.23

0.08 0.04

0.67

0.28

0.18

Riparian Threat Level

Rip

aria

n Q

ual

ity

focus effort here

high

hig

hlo

w

low

Quality Model

Canopy density 0.317

Stream cover 0.200

Riparian width 0.183

Understory 0.183

Slope 0.117

Threat Model

Encroachment 0.690

Landscape Type 0.251

Understory 0.059

GIS and Multicriteria Decision Analysis

By Jacek Malczewski

PetersonGISGretchen Peterson

www.petersongis.com