Site selection of the Turkish Antarctic Research station using Analytic Hierarchy Process

Determination of the location of a research station in Antarctica is a very important issue, and necessary for countries to have sustainable Antarctic Scientific Program and expeditions. The suitable site selection is affected by long-term scientific work plan, its realization costs, and field experience on the continent. For this purpose, using a well-structured evaluation method is indispensable to handle decision uncertainties. This study focuses on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method with using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to detect the optimum probable location for an Antarctic research station. During the study, three main criteria groups and their sub-criteria were taken into account: spatial condition, accessibility, and international legal regime. The comparisons obtained from AHP method including GIS and surveys were used to find potentially suitable areas to demonstrate fitness-for-use of the allocation results. Finally, the suitability map was produced to identify the potential locations for the future Turkish Research Station by considering the climatic effects, environmental constraints, enabling logistics, cost and scientific interest. This study would help the decision-makers to take final steps for determining the potential Turkish Antarctic Station.