Selection of appropriate locations for industrial areas using GIS-fuzzy methods. A case study of yazd township, Iran

Abstract

One of the sites that may be developed in urban areas is the industrial town. Selecting a location for an industrial town is a complex problem that involves the evaluation of several factors of different types. This paper deals with the problem of finding an optimum site for such an area in Yazd Township, Iran, using Fuzzy GIS methods. Nine criteria including road, fault, rail road, water resource, urban area, mountain, agricultural land, soil-protected area, wildlife and slope were determined and split into two categories, anthropological and geographical criteria. As a result, after making fuzzy maps and integration maps using fuzzy operators, appropriate locations were spotted for industrial areas in Yazd Township. The most suitable areas were extensively found in eastern, northeast and southeast part of Yazd city. © 2015, Cluj University Press. All right reserved.