**6. MCE using WLC method**

A multicriteria evaluation consists of combining a set of criteria (constraints and factors) to build a single suitability map according to a specific category (set of factors). One of the most common procedures for aggregating data is the weighted linear combination (WLC) [19].

WLC is a technique based on the concept of a weighted average in which continuous criteria are standardized to a common numeric range, and then combined by means of a weighted average to produce a continuous mapping of suitability [13].

The suitability index for a site is the sum of the products of the standardized score for each criterion multiplied by the weight of each criterion, the following equation is given by Eastman [20]:

$$\mathbf{S} = \sum\_{i=1}^{n} \mathbf{w}\_i \mathbf{x}\_i$$

where S is the suitability index for area i; w1 , w2 ,…,wn are the weights of the criteria constrained to sum to 1; x1 , x2 ,…,xn are the standardized scores of the criteria i and n is the total number of criteria. As the sum of the weights is constrained to one, the final combined estimate is presented on the same scale.
