Sustainable Selection of Disaster Recovery Centers: A Comparative GIS Analysis and Fucom-Based Electre I Approach for Digital Infrastructure Resilience

Organizations’ increasing reliance on digital systems has made Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) a critical component of sustainable urban resilience. Disruptions in digital infrastructures directly affect corporate operations as well as the continuity of education, healthcare, and public services. Therefore, DRC site selection requires a holistic evaluation of multidimensional criteria, including environmental risk, infrastructure continuity, and operational reliability, rather than relying solely on physical suitability analysis. This study proposes a generalizable decision-making framework that comparatively evaluates GIS-based spatial suitability analysis and the ELECTRE I outranking model. Criterion weights are derived using the Fuzzy FUCOM method and applied exclusively within the ELECTRE I model for alternative evaluation. In the first stage, spatial suitability was assessed in a GIS environment using topographic and physical risk indicators such as slope, landslide susceptibility, and flood hazard. In the second stage, operational continuity criteria, including energy redundancy, telecommunication continuity, and RTO/RPO compliance, were weighted using Fuzzy FUCOM. The resulting weights were employed in the ELECTRE I model to calculate outranking relationships, supported by net concordance and discordance indices. Application results demonstrate differing ranking structures between the two approaches, reflecting distinct representations of physical suitability and operational resilience. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the findings. The study presents a scalable decision-support framework for sustainable digital infrastructure planning. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the integrated GIS–MCDM approach can support decision-makers in enhancing digital resilience and maintaining the long-term operational continuity of critical infrastructures in disaster-prone regions. The findings further indicate that locations with balanced physical suitability and strong infrastructure continuity emerge as the most appropriate alternatives for DRC establishment.