Identifying public parking sites using integrating GIS and ordered weighted averaging approach in Sanandaj city, Iran

Abstract

In this study, the integration of GIS-based ordered weighted averaging as used to spatial site selection of parking lots in Sanandaj city located in the west of Iran. For this purpose, the effective parameters were selected including distance from attractions, street width, population density, distance from roads, land price, and land use were selected based on literature review and expert opinion. The layers of the parameters were prepared in the GIS environment, and the relative weights of factors were gained using analytical hierarchy processes. Then, the ordered weighted averaging method was used to aggregate all maps and creat the suitability map. The zoning of suitable lands finally was determined using the zonal land suitability (ZLS) method and the most suitable sites were suggested in the study area. The results indicate that 234,887 m2 (16.14%) of the study area has high suitability for construction parking sites mostly located in the northern and southern parts of the city. In conclusion, the combination of GIS with powerful aggregation and suitability analysis methods has a strong ability to integrate and analyze various spatial data simultaneously, in particular in site selection studies.