Modelling Land-use and Land-cover Changes Using Markov-CA, and Multiple Decision Making in Kirkuk City

This paper tries to highlight on the analysis of the land-use and land-cover changes in Kirkuk city / Iraq thatʹs due to repeated changes in structures of governments, wars and economic blockade over the past three decades that drove to chaos. The Markov-cellular automata model is an important and powerful tool in simulation. In this article a new Markov-CA model was developed based on built-in multi-regression model and multi-criteria evaluation approach to improve the representation of Markov-CA transition rules. Utilised data relate to the environmental and socio-economic are produce criteria layers and weights in order to output the suitability maps via a ranking method for periods 1984, 1990, 2000 and 2010, which have become conditional for the next step of Markov-CA generation. The suitability maps are compared in order to determine the best fit maps based on the values of the root equation (R2). This comparison helpful to the stakeholders make better decisions and the best maps indicated best transition rules, which is represent the core of Markov-CA model. Thus, the resultant of best suitability maps derives a predefined transition rule for the end of Markov-CA model step. The approach used in the present study a mechanism for monitoring the land-use and land-cover changes in Kirkuk depend on Markov-CA is implemented and evaluated thru the different decision maker. The results assert that the model bears a high applicability and flexibility degree in land-use and land-cover changes.