Maximizing the Locational and Financial Potential of Billboards Using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process in Spatial Decision Support System

Abstract

The built-up areas of the rapidly urbanizing planet are increasingly affected by urban visual pollution. Outdoor advertisements were the primary sources of visual pollution, affecting an area's visual pollution index and revenue generation potential. In developing countries, current practices of misinformed and unmanaged outdoor advertising (particularly billboards) impede effective visual pollution control. The purpose of this thesis was to propose a spatial decision support system (SDSS) that will assist all stakeholders (development control authorities, advertisers, billboard owners, and the general public) in balancing the ideal placement of billboards under the governing regulations. SDSS was based on well-known geospatial open-source technology and employs a spatial decisionmaking technique influenced by the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). It can assist customers in identifying possible places for new billboard placement and selecting boards from existing sites based on a range of attributes through its category-specific user interface. To analyze the system's initial effectiveness, all stakeholders' observations were collected in the form of panel feedback. The proposed system was shown to be effective in identifying hotspots for targeted management and research of the optimum locations for new billboards. As a result, it assists advertising companies, local governments, and city councils in better planning and management of existing billboard locations in order to maximize revenue while also improving urban aesthetics. By implementing jurisdictional rules and regulations, the system may be copied in other countries, regardless of spatial limits.