Development of a web-based group spatial decision support system for the site selection of a new shopping center

Choosing the right place to build a new shopping center is a multi-criteria decision-making problem that involves different people and opinions. In this research, geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision-making models have been used to perform some stages of spatial analysis, and then the development of a group decision support system for aggregating and selecting the final alternative has been discussed. A two-step method was proposed in this research to create limited decision-making options. In the first stage, creating standard criteria maps including five items with spatial analysis and normalization was done in ArcGIS software. According to the studies, the weight of each criterion was determined and the weighted overlapping of the layers was done. After applying the limiting options, six areas were determined to perform web-based location selection. In the second stage, a group spatial decision support system was developed. Using Visual Studio environment and C# programming language and .NET technology, a website was designed for the participation of experts in this field. In the architecture of this system, ASPMap technology, including a set of controls and map components, and location-based tools, was embedded on the server side of the program. User weighting of the criteria was done in the forms designed by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). With the help of stored procedures in a SQL Server database, the average value of each of the selected points is calculated online based on the opinions of the group. Finally, the point that had the highest value in the average of the opinions of different users was introduced as the best place to build a shopping center. The research results showed that the proposed method has high flexibility, speed, and ease in applying group opinions.