The criteria for mapping the suitable location of the new seismic station in the northern Harrat Rahat (Fig. 2), also known as Harrat Al-Madinah, were based on the availability of data and their
economic and environmental significance. The level of constraints
used depends on the minimum level of criteria and will vary depending on local regulations and attitudes.
The GIS–MCDA method, within the spatial framework of ArcGIS
software (ESRI, 2009) was used to produce a seismic station suitability map for the Harrat Al-Madinah) area, as a part of the Volcanic Risk in Saudi Arabia (VORiSA) project. VORiSA (Moufti et al.,
2014) was established to develop an in-depth analysis of the volcanic hazards in Harrat Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where a volcanic eruption has occurred in 1265 AD. Originally, eight seismic borehole stations have been installed in the area to monitor the microseismic activity throughout the area; however, additional seismic
stations are required to be installed at the suitable sites proposed
in this study to improve the seismic coverage in the area. This
study not only helped to establish the target of the VORiSA project
by providing a well selected sites, but also, it provides an alternative tool for selecting suitable sites for seismic stations effectively which could have considerable effects on the seismic network managements plans later on.