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Flood Risk Assessment Using GIS and OWA: An Environmental Engineering Case Study in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand
Abstract
Flooding is a major environmental challenge in Mae Sai District, jeopardizing both local communities and ecosystems. To assess flood risk within this complex, mountain–border watershed, this study integrates Geographic Information System (GIS) modelling with Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Ten hydrological and environmental factors were modelled using both the traditional Weighted Overlay method and the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) technique.By incorporating a high-resolution, multi-source analytical framework, the model enhances sensitivity to nonlinear interactions and cumulative hazard compounding. Validation against observed flood events demonstrates that OWA outperforms traditional Weighted Overlay across key performance metrics, achieving higher Precision (0.892), IoU (0.509), and F1-score (0.675). High and very-high flood-risk zones identified by OWA cover roughly 60% of the district, primarily clustered in low-lying floodplains with restricted drainage capacity. The findings demonstrate OWA’s performance and offer crucial spatial guidance for authorities prioritizing high-risk areas for land-use planning, drainage improvement, and disaster preparedness.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijost.v11i3.92803
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