A GIS-based method for the selection of the location of residence

Homebuyers are usually interested in both the accessibility of services and the quality of the local environment,and real estate agents frequently offer some web-based systems for home searches.There is however hardly any information about the quality of local living environment in those web-based systems.The purpose of this study was to develop a method for homebuyers,adaptable to the environmental variables of interest to homebuyers when selecting a home location.In this paper,a multicriteria spatial analysis method is proposed and demonstrated for the homebuyers’selection process,using data from the City of Kuopio,Finland.Several spatial variables are applied,including environmental and service factors in the home searching process.A geographical information system(GIS)is used for creating maps for decision variables and mapping suitable areas.The method for ranking alternative dwellings is based on the difference between levels of the decision variables for each dwelling and the target levels given by the user.The method presented in this paper is adaptable to other geographical and social contexts.This decision analysis tool will be useful for both customers and real estate agents,and can also be used for city planning as a participatory-GIS(P-GIS)tool.It introduces new possibilities in the home selection process.The availability of spatial data on the living environment in the webbased services for homebuyers is likely to have effects on customers’requirements and house markets,and also promote better spatial city organization in the long run.