Integrating Gene Expression Programming and Geographic Information Systems for Solving a Multi Site Land Use Allocation Problem

Abstract

Problem statement: Land use planning may be defined asthe process of allocating different activities or usesto specific units of area within a region. Multi sitesLand Use Allocation Problems (MLUA) refer to theproblem of allocating more than one land use type in anarea. MLUA problem is one of the truly NP Complete(combinatorial optimisation) problems. Approach: Tocope with this type of problems, intelligent techniquessuch as genetic algorithms and simulated annealing,have been used. In this study a new approach forsolving MLUA problems was proposed by integrating GeneExpression Programming (GEP) and GIS. The feasibilityof the proposed approach in solving MLUA problems waschecked using a fictive case study. Results: Theresults indicated clearly that the proposed approachgives good and satisfactory results.Conclusion/Recommendation: Integrating GIS and GEP is apromising and efficient approach for solving MLUAproblems. This research focused on minimising thedevelopment costs and maximising the compactness of theallocated land use. The optimization model can beextended in the future to maximize also the spatialcontiguity of the allocated land use.