Combining AHP with GIS for evaluating environmental carrying capacity in Shaanxi Province, China

Lijun Zhang, Jianhua Xu

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has the special advantage in multi-indexes evaluation, and geographical information system (GIS) is good at spatial analysis. Combining AHP with GIS provides an effective means for studies of regional environmental carrying capacity (ECC) evaluation. Aiming at the regional features of ecosystem of Shaanxi Province, the synthetic evaluation index system is set up including eco-elastic force, resource carrying capacity and environment carrying capacity factors. Supported by GIS, taking the city as the evaluation unit, the information system database of ECC of Shaanxi Province is established. Based on the database and evaluation system, AHP, ECC evaluation index method and spatial analysis are integrated into the ECC evaluation in the study area. The results showed that only 23% of the total land area in Shaanxi Province maintains a good or better grade of the ECC. However, 50% of the total area is of a bad or worse grade of ECC. From the spatial distribution, the ECC gradually decreased from the south to the north with exception in a few areas, which presented the obvious characteristics of terrain. It is concluded that the current status of the integral ECC of Shaanxi Province is in the bad level, and highly intense human activities speeded up the degradation of regional ecosystem in recent years.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInternational Conference on Challenges in Environmental Science and Computer Engineering, CESCE 2010
Pages3-6
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010
Event2010 International Conference on Challenges in Environmental Science and Computer Engineering, CESCE 2010 - Wuhan, China
Duration: 6 Mar 20107 Mar 2010

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Challenges in Environmental Science and Computer Engineering, CESCE 2010
Volume1

Conference

Conference2010 International Conference on Challenges in Environmental Science and Computer Engineering, CESCE 2010
Country/TerritoryChina
CityWuhan
Period6/03/107/03/10

Keywords

  • AHP
  • China
  • Environmental carrying capacity
  • GIS
  • Shaanxi province

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