Development of a web graphic model with fuzzy-decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory/Multi-criteria-Spatial Decision Support System (F-DEMATEL/MC-SDSS) for sustainable planning and construction of rural housings

There is often a complicated process for planning and constructing rural housings under the influence of (mass)-tourism in reservoir areas, involving multiple evaluation criteria use and geographical information analysis. With some methodologies within a unique framework considering current increasing construction sprawls and ecological consequences, these approaches will overcome existing shortcomings, especially spatial decision and visual impact problems on sustainable rural housing planning and construction. This paper presents a distinct web-based graphic model of sustainable rural housing planning and construction with a Fuzzy-DEcision-MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory/Multi-Criteria-Spatial Decision Support System (F-DEMATEL/MC-SDSS) method in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment applied to Alange, Spain as a case study. The aim of this methodology is to optimally eco-design rural housings under (mass)-tourism in reservoir areas, as for their sensitivity and effect. The methodology presents herein the combined method of GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) together with F-DEMATEL method. Because of the technological improvements in the area of information systems, it has a great necessity to study in what way to combine GIS, MCDA, Weighted Linear Combination (WLC), sensitivity analysis, the Internet, modeling, and database, targeting to generate MC-SDSS based on a web-based platform. A methodological framework named as web-based F-DEMATEL/MC-SDSS is suggested by means of a totally united GIS and definite MCDA model by programed in ArcGIS software's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and Model View Controller (MVC) to be an object-oriented system. These program languages interact on an algorithmic web server that processing the MCDA products. The model consists of four main modules: the general overview module, the F-DEMATEL/MC-SDSS module, the sensitivity analysis module, and, finally, the final result module especially with the buildings suitability option, which users can access consecutively. Through the web graphic model developed, seven rural housings constructed in the area can be checked their suitability based on the selected criteria of decision-makers. Therefore, the results can be used to verify sustainable housings' sites and designs differentiated parts of space as the asynchronous process of decision-makings. Thus, this model can be a channel to collaborate and communicate the spatial design and visual impact strategies of sustainable housings for decision-makers, who have practical and specific purposes. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.