*3.1. Decision Framework for Site Selection*

The decision-making process for site selection consists of two stages: exclusion stage and evaluation stage. Figure 1 shows the decision-making framework.

#### Stage 1: Exclusion stage

This stage aims to exclude unfeasible marine areas and identify feasible islands through exclusion criteria sets. GIS is introduced in this stage to handle spatial data. In this study, GIS datasets for MERL, WPD, WD are established, each dataset can generate a thematic map. By superimposing these maps, unfeasible marine areas and feasible island alternatives are identified.

#### Stage 2: Evaluation stage

To rank island alternatives, MCDM methods are employed in this stage. After identifying feasible islands in the study area, the island alternatives are evaluated based on 14 evaluation criteria using the combined weighting method and TOPSIS-GRA. Criteria weights are obtained by the combined weighting method, including fuzzy GDM-AHP and entropy method. After obtaining the criteria weights, TOPSIS-GRA is used to rank the islands.

**Figure 1.** Decision-making framework for site selection.
