AHP-TOPSIS hybrid decision support system for dam site selection

Inadequate selection of an area for the location of dams brings about social and economic disadvantages due to the non-fulfillment of its objective, as well as causes significant damage to the ecosystem of the river basin. This type of selection depends on a set of different criteria and variables, so it is necessary to develop a tool to support decision-making that allows reducing the collateral damage that a project of this type entails and increasing the project effectiveness. This paper proposes the development of a hybrid method of multicriterial analysis using the hierarchical analysis technique (AHP) and the technique for the order of preferences by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) with a specific focus on the selection of sites for dams. Modifications to traditional methods were established by eliminating the decision-maker as an evaluator of alternatives. The proposed method is based on the hierarchical ordering of alternatives taking into account the subjective judgments of decision-makers when considering the uncertainties of the selection process. The ordering of the alternatives is preceded by the analysis of a series of hydrological, geological, topographic and land use parameters extracted from a digital elevation model. According to the results obtained, it was possible to order hierarchically (better-worse) each of the river basins evaluated according to the established parameters.