A vulnerability evaluation method of earthen sites based on entropy weight-TOPSIS and K-means clustering

• Published in: Heritage science Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 161 - 13
• Main Authors: Peng, Ningbo, Zhang, Chaokai, Zhu, Ye, Zhang, Yue, Sun, Bo, Wang, Fengrui, Huang, Jizhong, Wu, Tong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 20.05.2024; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Chemistry and Materials Science; Cluster analysis; Clustering; Correlation analysis; Correlation coefficients; Earthen sites; Entropy; Entropy weight-TOPSIS method; Evaluation; Human factors; K-means clustering; Materials Science; Ontology; Vector quantization; Vulnerability assessment; Entropy weight-TOPSIS method; Earthen sites; Vulnerability assessment; K-means clustering
• ISSN: 2050-7445; 2050-7445
• DOI: 10.1186/s40494-024-01273-7

The degradation of earthen sites due to natural and human factors has become a pressing issue, necessitating urgent protection measures. In this context, accurate assessment of the vulnerability of earthen sites is essential for the development of effective conservation strategies. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation framework that incorporates multiple indicators is proposed. In particular, the entropy weight- (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) TOPSIS method is employed for quantitative vulnerability assessment and combined with K-means clustering to define vulnerability levels for earthen sites. To validate the proposed approach, the vulnerability of 29 sections of the Ming Great Wall is evaluated. Eventually, the 29 earthen sites are categorized into three levels: high, medium, and low, according to their degree of vulnerability. The results of gray correlation analysis and entropy weight-TOPSIS method are compared using the ontology missing amount in the original data as the validation standard. The results show that the Pearson correlation coefficient value of the entropy weight-TOPSIS method with the ontology missing amount was 0.859, while the Pearson correlation coefficient value of the gray correlation analysis method with the ontology missing amount was 0.691, so that the results of the entropy weight-TOPSIS method can more accurately reflect the actual vulnerability of earthen sites.