Multi-hazard probability assessment and mapping in Iran

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Nov 20:692:556-571. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.203. Epub 2019 Jul 17.

Abstract

Several areas of Iran are prone to numerous natural hazards. An effective multi-hazard risk reduction requires analysis of the individual hazards and their interplay. This research develops a multi-hazard probability map for three hazards (i.e. landslides, floods, and earthquakes) for the management of hazard-prone areas in Lorestan Province, Iran, using anew ensemble model named SWARA-ANFIS-GWO. First, based on flood and landslide occurrence maps, hazard-prone areas were identified and sub-divided into two subsets.70% of these locations were randomly chosen to be used for the construction of susceptibility maps, while the remaining 30% of the instances were used to assess the accuracy of the models. Then, eleven factors relating to terrain and land use were selected for the preparation of landslide and flood susceptibility maps. An earthquake map was prepared based on a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). The SWARA method was implemented for weighting contributing factors and evaluating spatial relationships between the three hazards and predisposing factors. Subsequently, the ANFIS approach was used to acquire weights for each value while using a gray Wolf metaheuristic algorithm. Finally, all weight values were further assessed using the MATLAB software. The predicated results from the models were validated with ROC (rate of change) curves. The resulting AUCs (area under the curve) of the validation data indicated accuracies of 84% and 80% for floods and landslides, respectively, and 87% and 82.6%for flood and landslides based on the training data, respectively. Finally, the flood, landslide, and earthquake maps were combined to create a multi-hazard probability map of the Lorestan Province. This multi-hazard map serves as a valuable tool for land use planning and sustainable infrastructure development for the Lorestan Province.

Keywords: ANFIS; Ensembles models; Gray wolf approach; Landslide, floods, earthquakes; Multi-hazard mapping; SWARA.