A weighted linear combination-based multi-criteria framework for prioritizing environmental monitoring sites in coastal military areas of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54939/1859-1043.j.mst.110.2026.125-135Keywords:
Multi-criteria decision making; Weighted linear combination; Environmental monitoring; Military areas.Abstract
Coastal military areas in the Mekong Delta are increasingly exposed to environmental pressures from salinity intrusion, climate change, and combined military-civilian pollution sources. However, most environmental monitoring frameworks are designed for civilian contexts and rarely consider the operational characteristics of military facilities. This study proposes a Weighted Linear Combination (WLC)-based multi-criteria decision framework to prioritize environmental monitoring sites in coastal military units of Vinh Long Province (formerly Tra Vinh Province), Vietnam. Six criteria including environmental baseline characteristics, pollutant accumulation potential, representativeness, impact on military/defense activities, accessibility and operatability, and ecological-social sensitivity were integrated and weighted separately for soil, surface water, and groundwater. A total of 346 candidate locations across 22 military bases were evaluated using field surveys, environmental datasets, and spatial analysis. The model identified 286 priority sites (82.6%) for monitoring, including 110 surface water, 110 groundwater, and 66 soil locations, with higher priority scores concentrated in technical and production units associated with greater pollution risk. Unlike conventional WLC applications, the proposed framework incorporates military-operational sensitivity and medium-specific weighting, enabling more realistic prioritization of monitoring sites in defense-managed environments. The approach provides a transparent and transferable tool for optimizing environmental monitoring networks in military-controlled coastal regions.
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