Automated Allocation of Land Uses, Using Multi-Criteria Land Suitabillity Evaluation,Case Study: Economic Planning of Land in Kelelbar-chai Watershed

Scarcity of "Land" suitable for the economical production of goods and services along with its
immobility have added to the importance of land allocation to its most suitable uses. It is exceedingly
important to develop a land use pattern, which is in line with natural capabilities as well as economic
infrastructures. The complexity of the allocation procedure on the one hand, and the capability of GIS
to handle spatial data, and possession of Decision Support Systems (DSS) on the other hand, have been
some motivations of using GIS in this research. Results of previous researches have proved the
importance of multi-criteria land suitability evaluation and GIS role in automated land use allocation.
In this study, land suitability evaluation, and land use allocation have been carried out by using
thematic maps that include physical, natural and economic themes. Various land uses and the
determining factors in land use evaluation procedures have been considered besides the comparative
importance of each land use as well as the factors effective in land allocation. Determining the
quantitative criteria of land use comparative advantage and the factors influencing land suitability have
been accomplished by using economic evaluation of land uses and through an Analytical Hierarchical
Process (AHP) respectively. These conditions lead the research to use multi-criteria land evaluation
and multi-objective land allocation method. Using a collection of master thematic maps, the method of
'land evaluation is so similar to a Grid-based evaluation method. Cell size is of the grid dimensions of
15meters and it could be assumed that the evaluation of land suitability is being done for each point
inthe region. The procedure is easy to use for vast areas and it is enough fast for to be used repeatedly.
Idrisiw ver. 2.008 has been used to produce suitability maps and to allocate 5uses of land, including
barely dry farming, walnut orchard establishment, range management for sheep grazing, park
foundation as well as conservation.