Objects criteria trees popup

Criteria trees

A criteria tree contains the definition of a complicated calculation in which multiple input maps and/or attribute columns are combined, according to certain user-defined rules or criteria, to obtain a final output raster map using Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE).

Under the main goal of a criteria tree, you can add:

criteria: these rules are either factors or constraints.
groups: as many criteria may be involved, you can create groups under the main goal of a tree to keep an overview of all rules. A group defines an intermediate or a partial goal. Under a group, you can add one or more factors.

A criteria tree as a whole contains all rules you defined; it thus contains the way in which all input data should be standardized, grouped or weighed, to be able to calculate the final output map. The calculated final output map will show the performance of an area for the main goal that was set.

To build a criteria tree, you need to:

specify the name of the main goal as text, and specify the name of the output raster map that will contain the calculated final result,

add criteria under the main goal, i.e.:

add factors (benefits and/or costs) and add constraints,
specify the name of each factor or constraint as text,
select for each factor or constraint the input raster map or the attribute column that needs to be used.

optionally, add groups (partial goals) under the main goal, or under another partial goal, i.e.:

specify the name of a group as text,
optionally, specify the name of the output raster map that will contain the calculated result for this group,

add factors (benefits and/or costs) under the group,
specify the name of each factor as text,
select for each factor the input raster map or the attribute column that needs to be used.

Optionally, you can calculate performance by multiple scenarios or alternatives, in order to select the best scenario or alternative, and to identify poorly performing scenarios or alternatives. You will use:

the same criteria tree, i.e. the same rules for standardization, grouping and weighing of criteria,
for each alternative: other input maps.