Risk-based GIS model for hazardous materials routing in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates as a case study
by Iyad Sahnoon; Abdallah Shanableh; Khaled Hamad
International Journal of Sustainable Society (IJSSOC), Vol. 8, No. 2, 2016

Abstract: Hazardous materials (HAZMATs) routing is a daily activity for organisations involved in transporting HAZMAT shipments to destinations within their jurisdictions. HAZMAT shipments need to be transported safely without posing significant risk to human and environmental health. While traditional routing is based on travel cost, represented by travel time or distance, this paper presents a risk-based geographic information system (GIS) model for finding the least-risky routes for HAZMAT shipments. Using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the proposed model combines multiple risks using importance weights into a single, comprehensive travel risk factor. The risks considered in the model include: travel time, travel distance, risk to exposed population, and risks due to traffic air and noise emissions. To test the proposed model, a comprehensive GIS-database was built for the main roads in the City of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The developed model, combined with the GIS-database, allows finding the least-risky route between any two destinations based on weighed risks or constraints. The proposed methodology is general enough to be applied to any case study worldwide.

Online publication date: Mon, 04-Jul-2016

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