A computeraided system for site selection of major capital investment

Abstract: Site selection for capital investments is a crucial complex decision for owners and analysts. Difficulties are caused by the inclusion of the numerous possible sites that may qualify, multiple objectives that could also contradict each other, intangible objectives that are difficult to quantify, diversity of interest groups, uncertainties regarding external factors such as government legislations, uncertainties regarding the timing required for permitting the sites in question, and unknown construction challenges for the different sites. As such, these exercises are multi-facetted and necessitate the employment of analysts who possess in-depth knowledge in a number of fields. More importantly, a solution must satisfy a number of physical suitability criteria, as well as, meeting a number of social, economical, environmental and political requirements. Consequently, a number of specialized tools is frequently utilized to ensure reaching an optimal decision. This paper presents a new system that integrates Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) operations within a Geographic Information System (GIS) application to determine the optimum site for a specified facility. The system was validated through a facility for a selected metropolitan area. 4 Neil N. Eldin and K. A. Eldrandal