Selecting Suitable Sites for Animal Waste Application Using a Raster GIS

Abstract

/ Rapid growth of intensive animal industries in southeast Queensland, Australia, has led to large volumes of animal waste production, which posses serious environmental problems in the Murray Darling Basin (MDB). This study presents a method of selecting sites for the safe application of animal waste as fertiliser to agricultural land. A site suitability map for the Westbrook subcatchment within the MDB was created using a geographic information system (GIS)-based weighted linear combination (WLC) model. The factors affecting the suitability of a site for animal waste application were selected, and digital data sets derived from up to 1:50,000 scale maps were acquired. After initial preprocessing, digital data sets were clipped to the size of the delineated subcatchment boundary producing input factors. These input factors were weighted using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) that employed an objectives-oriented comparison (OOC) technique to formulate the pairwise comparison matrix. The OOC technique, which is capable of deriving factor weight independently, formulated the weight derivation process by making it more logical and systematic. The factor attributes were classified into multiple classes and weighted using the AHP. The effects of the number of input factors and factor weighting on the areal extent and the degree of site suitability were examined. Due to the presence of large nonagricultural and residential areas in the subcatchment, only 16% of the area was found suitable for animal waste application. The areal extent resulting from this site suitability assessment was found to be dependent on the areal constraints imposed on each input factor, while the degree of suitability was principally a function of the weight distribution between the factors.

Mobile-based Expert System for Selecting Broiler Farm Location Using PostGIS

“…By using the certain algorithm, since the x coordinate is more than 1 but 365 less than 7 and the coordinate of y is more than 1 but less than 8, the system will read that the point is located on polygon a, and then read the attributes of polygon a to be served as information. Also if user put a point on q (11,4), the system will read that point q is located on polygon b by the same algorithm, and if user put a point on r (13,5), the system will read that point r is not located on any polygon a, b, or c. The system was implemented by using several web programming languages, such as html, CSS, PHP, Javascript, and jQuery. A copy of code below is an example of query code written in PHP.…”

Green network analysis in coastal cities using least-cost path analysis: a study of Jakarta, Indonesia

“…3) Slope, classified by: below 2.5 degree, between 2.5-5 degree, over 5 degree. procedure (Basnet et al 2001). The combination of components, according to the WLC model, is determined using the following equation:…”

Geographic information system based manure application plan

“…logical yes or no) for each factor (map layer) using a GIS (Basnet et al, 2000). Similarly, the use of a weighted linear combination (WLC) model within the GIS can exclude sensitive areas and discriminate the remaining areas into various degrees of suitability (Siddiqui et al, 1996;Eastman, 1999;Basnet et al, 2001). However, using a WLC model for the degree of suitability determination requires making the input factors commensurable by reducing the factor attributes (i.e.…”

“…land use, soil type, soil fertility, slope, and proximity to intensive animal industries, roads, streams, and towns) were selected according to the criteria outlined in Basnet et al (2001). The data sets were digitised from 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 maps acquired from either the Queensland Department of Natural Resources (QDNR), the AgWise project of the Eastern Downs Regional Organisation of Councils Queensland, and ERSIS Australia.…”

“…Factors were weighted using an objective oriented comparison (OOC) method (Table 3) employed by Basnet et al (2001). The objectives and scores for the OOC were identified via interview with a panel that included representatives of the catchment stakeholders (e.g.…”