Mapping seismic risk in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh: an integrated geospatial approach

Rangpur Division in Bangladesh lies near the active Dauki Fault, yet few studies have fully assessed its earthquake risk. Most research focuses separately on hazard or vulnerability, often ignoring mitigation and detailed spatial analysis. This study fills that gap by using a geospatial multi-criteria approach that integrates hazard, vulnerability, and mitigation indicators into one risk assessment model. Employing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in Python, nine hazard criteria, seven vulnerability indicators, and five mitigation factors were modeled as weighted raster layers. These layers were combined to produce high-resolution maps and a seismic risk map with five risk levels from very high to very low. Model validation showed strong predictive ability (AUC =…