Determining optimum locations for an industry is a critical and complex decision for manufacturers. To
select a potential site to establish food industries, various criteria should be considered regarding
accessibility, delivery, market, and environmental factors. In this study, the weighted overlay method was
employed to develop an up-to-date geodatabase providing the potential areas for establishing food
industries to assist urban development in Qaemshahr city, Iran. The required data were acquired through
various sources including remote sensing, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Geographical
Information System (GIS). To achieve the aim, firstly the criteria of food industries settlement in
Qaemshahr city have been measures, and the corresponding maps have been prepared. Using weighted
overlay method all weighted maps were aggregated and final suitability map was established. Finally, the
suitable sites for food industries in Qaemshahr were determined. The results have been validated by
experts practicing Qaemshahr urban development. The results showed that around 172 sites are suitable
for establishing the food industries in Qaemshahr. Accuracy assessment analysis proved the effectiveness
of the achieved results with the accuracy level of 90%. The study concluded that the geodatabase model
prepared in this study could be useful for future food industry development plans in Qaemshahr city, Iran.