Suitability analysis with the help of suitability maps

The question of the suitability of an area for a particular use was one of the main motivations for the development of GIS. "What parts of St. Gittal are suitable for the resettlement of a large carnivore?" Such queries require spatial search techniques based on search criteria. A simple search with a single criterion is rarely enough ("Which areas of St. Gittal are covered with forest?"). Usually, only the combination of multiple search criteria leads to a solution. A GIS allows such combinations through the intersection of multiple levels of information. Only the superposition of information, e.g. soil type, vegetation, and topography, allows the designated query. The concept of Suitability analysis describes the search for locations or areas that are characterized by a combination of certain properties. Often, the result of a suitability analysis is a suitability map. It shows which locations or areas are suitable for a specific use in form of a thematic map (e.g. agricultural suitability map). The negative variation of the suitability map is the hazard or risk map. It segregates areas that are exposed to a specific hazard based on the criteria given (e.g. avalanche hazard maps).