# GIS-Based Solar Radiation Mapping, Site Evaluation, and Potential Assessment: A Review
## 4 Solar Potential Assessment Using GISs
### DB and Visualization Tools  
This sub-section discusses the use of GISs as solar potential DB (map) or solar potential visualization (map production) tools. A few researchers have used GISs as only solar DB maps in solar potential assessment. [PERSON] et al. [58] employed a georeferenced raster-formatted solar resource map (i.e., annual mean daily global horizontal radiation at the surface) in Kangwon province, created by the Korea Meteorological Administration, to assess the PV potential at three mines (Figure 7). By overlapping the solar resource map with a mine map, the annual mean daily global horizontal radiation at the three mines was extracted. Then, these values were entered into REST screen software to analyze the electricity production and greenhouse gas emission reduction. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Role of GIS** & **No.** & **Solar Type** & **No.** & **Analysis Scale** & **No.** \\ \hline DB \& Visualization tools & 9 & PV & 23 & Global & 1 \\ Rooftop extraction tool & 2 & CSP & 6 & National & 16 \\ Radiation modeling tool & 6 & General & 1 & Region & 20 \\ Shading analysis tool & 7 & PV \& CSP & 9 & Object & 2 \\ Spatial analysis tool & 15 & & & & \\ \hline Sum & 39 & Sum & 39 & Sum & 39 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Classification and number of articles according to the role of the GIS, solar type, or scale. Many researchers have used GISs as both solar DB maps and visualization tools in solar potential assessment. [PERSON] et al. [59] performed a SolarGIS-pvPlanner simulation to assess PV power generation for household in Surabaya, Indonesia. This simulator provides assessment results at any selected site online by integrating numerical simulation models generated from the latest climate DB. Specifically, the SolarGIS method is based on using statistically aggregated solar and temperature data stored in the DB with a time step of 15 min. The simulator provides meteorological and geographical data as inputs to assess power generation from PV systems. A GIS plays a role in the web-based simulator as both a DB system and a visualization system. [PERSON] et al. [60] generated solar radiation maps for five different tracking modes to compare the applicability of PV and CSP power plants. Then, a 5 MW PV power plant was considered for 50 cities in Iran to investigate the viability of PV power plants for each city. The capacity factors, electricity generated, and annual greenhouse gases emission reductions were compared. [PERSON] et al. [61] considered a DNI map sourced from the German Aerospace Center to extract CSP hotspots in Northeast Brazil. Using these data, the optimal CSP plant configuration was derived and the potential of CSP for the northeast power system of Brazil was assessed. [PERSON] et al. [62] utilized rooftop LiDAR point cloud data to generate a grid-type map with 1 m resolution to assess the PV potential of building roofs considering the nonlinear efficiency characteristics of a given PV module type and the solar inverter. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [63] generated a solar resource map showing the yearly sum of global irradiation in the Piedmont region by performing interpolation among all of the cell values of the solar radiation map within the municipality. Using this map, the roof surface area available for installation was calculated, and the PV energy potentials of the rooftop integrated PV systems were assessed. [PERSON] et al. [64] explored a DNI map and meteorological data for the northeastern region of Brazil to assess incentive policies for integrating CSP generation into the Brazilian electric power system. As a result, subsystems and interchanges in the model in the national grid were proposed. [PERSON] et al. [65] generated GHI and DNI average monthly sum maps (2003-2013) in Qatar by improving satellite-derived data using ground measurement data.