Feasibility Study of Use of GIS in Determining Administrative-Political Central Units Case study: City of Karaj

Although political system of every country determines its management system, it is not possible to run a country without dividing it into smaller units. The capital, periphery and boundaries of political-administrative divisions are three effective parameters. The city of Karaj is one of the suburbs of Tehran, with a large population and three districts of Asara, Central Karaj, and Eshtehard. The major chunk of the population is concentrated in the Central Karaj, which can be divided into smaller units for more suitable access of the residents to administrative services. However, the selection of the central unit faces vigorous competition between different units and hence this selection must not lead to social tension. In the present paper attempts have been made to study the feasibility of selection of the most suitable sites for the central district of the new units through using such techniques as GIS. The required data have been collected from satellite photos or remote sensing. Also analysis of access to determination of the central unit in GIS space became possible and finally decision was made for the analysis of the best access in GIS space. The findings of the present study show that there is possibility of establishing only one district in the region, hence it is necessary to establish only one central district. Analysis of the multivariable scenarios showed that the best decision for give more weight to township is centrality of Mohammad Shahr, while Mahdasht comes next, scoring the highest points.