`Need Guidance: Multi-Criteria Suitability Analysis for Plantation in Balochistan`

[BaratKhan]

Hello ESRI Community,

I' from Balochistan, Pakistan. I’m working on a personal project called "Green Balochistan".

Challenge: Our province has low rainfall, high desertification, and limited green cover.
Goal: Use GIS to identify the best locations for tree plantation to maximize survival rate.

My Planned Workflow:
1. Data Sources: Landsat 8/9 for NDVI, WorldClim for annual rainfall, SRTM for slope
2. Method: Weighted Overlay Analysis in ArcGIS Pro
- NDVI: 40% weight - Find barren areas
- Rainfall: 40% weight - Find areas with some water
- Slope: 20% weight - Flat areas are better for plantation
3. Output: A suitability map to share with local NGOs and Forest Department

My Question:
Is Weighted Overlay the right tool for this in an arid region?
Are there any other datasets or tools in ArcGIS Online/Pro that you recommend for this?

I’ve attached a draft concept map.

Any guidance, tutorials, or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for supporting GIS for Good 🙏

#ArcGISPro #SuitabilityAnalysis #ClimateAction #Pakistan #GreenPakistan

[WilliamTarpai]

@BaratKhan    Wow, thanks for posting and the questions.  There are tons of how to videos as well as GIS for GOOD members who will be able to help out I'm sure.  Having traveled in Balochistan, I'm very much reminded of the desert regions to the east of San Diego (perhaps extending all the way to Texas panhandle.  It would be great if you could add a layer pinpointing all the schools, perhaps noting which has running water, sanitation and stable access to electricity.   Can't wait to learn about your successes helping to green your region.

[BaratKhan · Accepted solution]

Thanks William for the suggestion!

You’re absolutely right - parts of Balochistan’s terrain are very similar to arid regions like San Diego and Texas.
So we are focusing the MCA on drought-resistant species, water harvesting, and areas with community support.

Here is our updated approach:

--- MCA CRITERIA - DESERT ADAPTED ---
Factor | Weight | Data Source
Groundwater/Karez Distance | 30% | WAPDA, PCRWR
Rainfall | 25% | CHIRPS, PMD
Soil Depth and Type | 20% | FAO SoilGrids
Slope | 15% | SRTM DEM
Road and School Proximity | 10% | OSM

--- SCHOOLS LAYER - COMMUNITY PRIORITY ZONES ---
Added 3 attributes for each school: Has_Water, Has_Sanitation, Has_Electricity
Rule: Schools with ALL 3 = "High Priority Plantation Zone" with 5km buffer

Sample School Data:
District | School Name | Water | Sanitation | Electricity | Priority
Quetta | Govt Boys HS Quetta | Yes | Yes | Yes | High
Pishin | Girls School Khanozai | Yes | Yes | Yes | High
Loralai | Middle School Loralai | Yes | No | Yes | Medium
Sibi | Primary School Sibi | Yes | Yes | No | Medium
Chaghi | Border School Chaghi | No | No | No | Low

--- PRELIMINARY ZONES - 12 DISTRICTS ---
High Priority: Pishin, Khanozai, Loralai, Zhob, Quetta
Recommended Species: Olive, Pistachio, Almond, Seb

Medium Priority: Sibi, Harnai
Recommended Species: Neem, Date Palm, Mesquite, Ber

Desert/Low Priority: Chaghi, Nokundi, Gwadar, Qila Saifullah, Musakhail
Recommended Species: Khejri, Babool, Conocarpus, Palm

I have also prepared an Excel file with full criteria weights and school data.
Will share the final weighted overlay map once processing is complete.

Open to feedback!

[WilliamTarpai]

@BaratKhan  great work and really helpful.  Several points....a) Do you know anyone at the University of California Riverside?  I recall how the UC extension services have been working with farmers (academic research as well as addressing specific needs and challenges of private sector related to water, salinity and overall production).  The University of California GIS week is happening soon, and you might find be able to find a current student or professor to collaborate.  b) Is it possible to determine which of the schools you have identified already have computer labs that run ESRI software and tools, or ESRI-National Geographic MAPMAKER software?

[BaratKhan]

@WilliamTarpai Thank you so much for your feedback and for connecting this to UC Riverside!

a) I don’t have direct contacts at UC Riverside yet, but the work on water, salinity and extension services is very relevant to Balochistan. I will look into the upcoming UC GIS Week and try to connect. If you know any professor or student working on arid region agriculture, an introduction would be really appreciated.

b) For the schools, my current dataset includes Water, Sanitation and Electricity. That’s why I used them for "Community Priority Zones". I will add new fields for "Has_ComputerLab" and "Has_ESRI_Software" and start surveying the identified schools. Once I have that data I will share the updated map and findings with the community.

Thanks again for the guidance. It’s really helping shape the "Green Balochistan" project.

[BaratKhan]

UPDATE: Study Area Map is Ready

I have finalized the 5 priority districts for the Green Balochistan Project using Google My Maps.

View Interactive Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1vRe_HVvlutbf8oyinZUHmw-nP8Ed4X8&ll=27.732656797256716%2C65.7...
Districts: Qilla Saifullah, Loralai, Gwadar, Zhob, Quetta

This is Phase 1 - Site Selection.
Phase 2: Currently working on Weighted Overlay analysis in ArcGIS Pro with these factors:
Groundwater 30%, Rainfall 30%, Soil 25%, Slope 20%, Distance to Water 15%

Question for the community:
1. What is the best open-source groundwater data for Balochistan?
2. Should "Distance to Water" weight be increased to 25% for arid regions?

The final suitability map will be shared here once complete.
Feedback and suggestions are most welcome!

@WilliamTarpai @EsriSustainability @EsriWater
#GreenBalochistan #ArcGISPro #GISforGood #PakistanView Interactive Map - Green Balochistan Project 

[BaratKhan]

Thank you everyone for viewing!

For "Green Balochistan" project I'm using ArcGIS Pro + Weighted Overlay.

My current criteria & weights:
Rainfall: 30%
Soil: 25%
Slope: 20%
Distance to Water: 15%
Land Use: 10%

My 2 Questions:
1. Are these weights suitable for Balochistan's arid/semi-arid climate?
2. Best free data source for rainfall in Pakistan - WorldClim or CHIRPS?

Any tutorial or guidance will be very helpful.
Thank you for supporting GIS for Good 🙏

#ArcGISPro #Green Balochistan🚵‍:male_sign:🚵‍:female_sign:

[BaratKhan]

UPDATE 06-Aug-2026: Phase 1 Progress & Data Request 🙏

Thank you @WilliamTarpai and everyone for the guidance!

PROGRESS UPDATE:
1. Study Area Finalized: Focusing on 5 Priority Districts for Phase 1
**High Priority:** Quetta, Loralai, Zhob, Qilla Saifullah
**Coastal:** Gwadar
[View Interactive Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1vRe_HVvlutbf8oyinZUHmw-nP8Ed4X8]

2. Species Selection: Based on community feedback
High Priority: Olive, Pistachio, Almond
Coastal: Date Palm, Mesquite, Khejri

3. MCA Weights in Progress: Currently testing in ArcGIS Pro
**Proposed Weights for Arid Region:**
Distance to Water 30%, Groundwater 25%, Rainfall 20%, Soil 15%, Slope 10% = 100%

NEW REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY:
a) Best open-source Groundwater data source for Balochistan?
Tried WAPDA but gaps hain.
b) For Gwadar: Any recommended Salinity/Soil data layer?
c) @WilliamTarpai Sir, if possible could you connect me with anyone from UC Riverside working on arid region agriculture?

I will share the final Weighted Overlay suitability map here once complete.

Working on adding "Has_ComputerLab" and "Has_ESRI_Software" fields to school dataset as suggested.

#GreenBalochistan #ArcGISPro #SuitabilityAnalysis #GISforGood #Pakistan