Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using GIS-based Fuzzy Logic and the Analytical Hierarchical Processes Approach: A Case Study in Constantine (North-East Algeria)

The main purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the performance of two multicriteria models for landslide susceptibility assessment in Constantine, north-east of Algeria. The landslide susceptibility maps were produced using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Fuzzy AHP (FAHP) via twelve landslides conditioning factors, including the slope gradient, lithology, land cover, distance from drainage network, distance from the roads, distance from faults, topographic wetness index, stream power index, slope curvature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, slope aspect and elevation. In this study, the mentioned models were used to derive the weighting value of the conditioning factors. For the validation process of these models, the receiver operating characteristic analysis, and the area under the curve (AUC) were applied by comparing the obtained results to The landslide inventory map which prepared using the archives of scientific publications, reports of local authorities, and field survey as well as analyzing satellite imagery. According to the AUC values, the FAHP model had the highest value (0.908) followed by the AHP model (0.777). As a result, the FAHP model is more consistent and accurate than the AHP in this case study. The outcome of this paper may be useful for landslide susceptibility assessment and land use management.