GIS-BASED MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYSIS OF THE SUITABILITY OF WESTERN SIBERIAN FOREST-STEPPE LANDS

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this work is to assess the suitability of land for cultivation of the main agricultural crop of Western Siberia, namely spring wheat. The algorithm of land suitability assessment was developed on the territory of the test plot of land-use of CJSC Mirny, Kochenevsky District, Novosibirsk Region. For assessment of land suitability on the basis of expert knowledge, criteria related to relief and soil, not only known but also specific, inherent in the area under consideration, have been identified. In the absence of information on the topography and relief of the territory under consideration, the spatial database of geodata was created based on the results of high-resolution digital aerial photography from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Elementary surfaces (ESs) at the micro-relief level have been determined with the help of GIS tools. Two most popular methods of obtaining criterion weights have been analysed: Analytic Hierarchy Process and the direct ranking method, and under certain conditions, a connection between these methods have been established. To assess the land suitability, the land suitability indices of selected ESs were calculated using GIS-MCDA (Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis) method Weighted linear combination. Based on the value of land suitability index for all ESs, belonging to a certain suitability class according to FAO classification has been established. A map of land suitability with an assessment of spring wheat sowing expediency was obtained.