Groundwater perspective zone mapping coupled with remote sensing, GIS, AHP, and MIF models: a case study of the Gorezen watershed, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study aims to identify groundwater potential zones (GWPZs) utilizing multi-influencing factor, geographical information system (GIS)-based analytical hierarchy processes (AHPs), and remote sensing in the Gorezen watershed, Ethiopia. Weighted overlay analysis was used in this study to integrate nine thematic layers. The Gorezen watershed is primarily covered by regions with roughly low groundwater potential, according to the results, which were linked to the kinds of geology and geomorphological settings. Receiver operating characteristic curves and samples of observed groundwater well-yielded data were used to validate the GWPZ map. Additionally, field observations confirmed that a high degree of agreement was obtained. The cross-validation results show that AHP is a lot more successful approach (accuracy 0.87) for obtaining groundwater potential maps. Thus, it is acceptable to identify the GWPZs utilizing integrated methodologies that combine two multi-criteria decision analysis techniques with the aid of a GIS environment.