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Applications

Choose a predefined application for your analysis, or start from scratch with a custom assessment. Every application follows the same GIS-MCDA workflow.

An application serves as template for a pre-defined spatial assessment. It provides a list of specific criteria and constraints organised into categories. If no application matches the requirements, a custom assessment supports user-defined projects.

MAR site suitabilityAreas suitable for managed aquifer rechargeRead more →Aquifer vulnerabilityExposure of groundwater to contaminationRead more →Flood risk assessmentCombined flood hazard, exposure and vulnerabilityRead more →Groundwater potentialLikelihood of productive aquifer conditionsRead more →Land suitabilityFitness of land for a defined agricultural useRead more →Custom assessmentAny spatial decision problem, defined by the userRead more →

What applications provide

Each application provides four elements that prepare a project for a specific type of spatial assessment.

Categories

Related criteria are grouped into weighted categories, each producing its own map that illustrates the contribution to the overall score map.

Suggested criteria

A starting list of pre-defined criteria and constraints with their units and data types. They can be further edited and combined with user-defined criteria.

Guidance

Explanations of the scoring direction of the criteria, the selection among correlated criteria and the interpretation of the result classes.

Case stories

Summaries of published studies that show examples of applications with real datasets. They can be opened in the app in read-only mode and used as tutorials.

An application provides only suggestions that can be edited by the user. It does not provide weights, thresholds or scoring functions; these need to be defined by the user and are documented in the report.

Interpreting the results

The applications classify the result from very low to very high. The meaning of the very high class depends on the application: a favourable location for suitability, feasibility and potential maps, and an area of concern for vulnerability and risk maps.

A classified map can also highlight candidate areas, which are contiguous zones of the highest class. Depending on the application, these areas can be selected for field investigation or exploration, or serve as priority areas for protection or mitigation measures.

ApplicationResultVery high meansTypical decision
MAR site suitabilityFeasibility mapFavourable conditions for a MAR schemeAreas for field investigation
Aquifer vulnerabilityVulnerability mapLittle natural protection of groundwaterAreas for protection and monitoring
Flood risk assessmentRisk mapHigh flood riskAreas for mitigation and preparedness
Groundwater potentialPotential mapProductive aquifer conditions likelyAreas for exploration
Land suitabilitySuitability mapLand well suited to the defined useAreas for the land use
Custom assessmentResult mapDefined in the projectDefined by the study

Common workflow

All applications follow the same nine steps, grouped into three phases. The application influences only the suggestions offered in the criteria and constraints steps; the remaining steps are identical.

Phase 1

Set up

Study area and reference grid, criteria organised in categories, and the input data

  1. 1Study area
  2. 2Criteria
  3. 3Data

Phase 2

Evaluate

Exclusion areas, standardisation of each criterion, and weights from analyst methods or an anonymous stakeholder survey

  1. 4Constraints
  2. 5Standardisation
  3. 6Weighting

Phase 3

Analyse

Classified maps for each scenario, sensitivity analysis, and a documented report

  1. 7Results
  2. 8Sensitivity
  3. 9Export

Case stories

Case stories summarise published studies carried out with the GIS-MCDA workflow. Each case story can be opened in the mcda.Studio app in read-only mode, and an editable copy can serve as a starting point for a new project.

Read more

Choosing an application

The application is selected when a project is created and can be changed later in the project details, together with the title, description and keywords. A change affects only the suggestions offered; criteria and constraints already in the project remain unchanged.

Start a project

Create a project, choose an application and follow the workflow step by step.

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