Spatial Analysis
With the constraint and "fuzzy" factor files created, a MCE could be done. As stated in the introduction, I will be looking at 3 different situations for the location for a new golf course development. To achieve this I performed 3 different MCE's. In each MCE, I used the Analytical Heirarcy Process (AHP) WEIGHT module to assign different weights to the factors based on the situation. This allowed for all the factors to be considered, but those factors that were more important had a higher weight value, and thus were more important in determining what locations would be most suitable.
Situation #1 - Golf Tourism
The factors that are the most important, and therefore have the most weight, are the natural land features that enhance the beauty of a golf course. A golf course built in a location where there is breathtaking scenery and views is one that can be advertised as being a destination for golf tourist coming to Metro Vancouver. Some factors that contribute to the natural beauty of a golf course are magnificant ocean vistas or majestic forests (Shmanske, 1999). Below are the weights given to the factors in terms of Golf Tourism.
When entering the pairwise comparison into the WEIGHT module, the following weights for each factor were given:
Situation #2 - A Golf Course Developer
In this perspective, a golf course developer might take into consideration the factors that could beautify a golf course. In this case we will assume that the golf course developer is going into this venture in a profit maximizing frame of mind. They would like to locate the golf course away from other golf courses so that don't have to face direct competition. They might also look to locate the golf course in a place that is close to the areas where there is the most population of golfers. Locating in such an area might make the golf course more enticing for set golfers because of its relative proximity. Finally, being located near a highway can be bad in terms of the noise generated, but as a major road, it can be viewed as a good way to access the golf course. Below are the weights given to the factors in terms of a golf course developer.
When entering the pairwise comparison into the WEIGHT module, the following weights for each factor were given:
Situation #3 - Golf Course Development For Local Golfers
In this perspective we look at where a golf course should be located in terms of the proximity to current golfers in Metro Vancouver. A very high weight is given to proximity of the golf course to areas with the highest density of golfers. These densities were determined from the survey of Michigan golfers. As stated earlier, from the sample that participated in the survey, the most golfers were between 36 and 50 years of age (Stynes et al., 2000). In terms of income, golfers in the survey had an income from $50,000 to $65,000 (Stynes et al., 2000). I took into account the inflation from 2000 to 2008 and then converted it into CDN dollars. The result was an income range of $80,000 to $120,000 CDN dollars. Below are the weights given to the factors in terms of golf course development for local golfers.
When entering the pairwise comparison into the WEIGHT module, the following weights for each factor were given:
