Developing GIS Tools to Integrate MCDM Models for the Analysis of Bank Branch Closures

In this research, MCDM methods have been integrated with a GIS to provide the means to prioritise branch closure procedures based upon a variety of different choice criteria and on the importance (weight) a decision maker might attach to these. Both MCDM and GIS are well established methods and fields of research. Their integration, however, seems at best an emerging field. This paper describes the tools developed to link, using loose coupling, the MCDM models in the CDP package with a GIS. Two ArcView GIS functions have been developed and used to link GIS and CDP packages through DDE data communication, and some menus and buttons have been added to the ArcView graphical user interface. The approach here is to represent the methodology for the development of effective spatial decision support environment (SDSS) for branch bank rationalisation by integrating MCDM and GIS. This decision making environment is designed to enable the decision maker to evaluate the applicability of the procedures and techniques in order to generate decision making scenarios and finally implement the decision process by re-evaluating different scenarios based on his/her own familiar concept and knowledge.