The evaluation of these criteria for the various alternatives has important spatial variations. For example, Coimbra is very hilly, and its topography (and water pressure) can vary greatly over short distances. These differences influence fixed and variable water supply infrastructure costs. Consequently, the planners have established three water pressure categories for planning and cost estimation purposes. Fig. 2 shows these three water pressure categories for the region under study. This GIS-based information is then used by MCPUIS to generate various criteria scores (e.g., fixed and operating -