GIS as a Tool for Route Location
and Highway Alignment
By
Emad Basheer Salameh Dawwas
Supervisor
Prof. Sameer A. Abu Eisheh
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master in Highway and Transportation Engineering, Faculty of
Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
2005
Abstract
Selecting best route location and highway alignment process is a complicated one, due to the many variables that must be taken into consideration for achieving the best results. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can easily model such variables, including topography, environment, built-up areas, and geology variables. This study took advantages of GIS capabilities that offer the ability to overlay maps, merge them, and perform spatial analysis on various layers of information in either two or three dimensions.
In this study, a GIS model for route location and highway alignment was developed and used to generate alternate highway route applications. After these alternatives were preliminarily designed using CADD software (Softdesk 8.0), the model was used to analyze, evaluate, and then select the alternative with least impacts on environmental, economical, and political aspects.
In this study, the GIS model was tested on an application that aims to select the best alternative of three suggested highway alignments. This selected highway is supposed to connect two major cities in the north of the West Bank (Nablus and Jenin). In this application, the advantages of the developed model was clear in the preliminary stage of alternatives generation where it was possible to avoid impacting of the different sensitive areas. In addition, a lot of information can be concluded once the user identifies a suggested route because the profile can be developed and drawn immediately. In final stages of analysis and evaluation, the model showed high capabilities in analyzing the impacts of each alternative, using buffering and spatial relations between the different features and the suggested alternatives, and then evaluating these impacts.
The results of this study clearly showed the applicability and potential of using GIS as a tool in route location and highway alignment with least potential impacts.
استخدام أنظمة المعلومات الجغرافية (GIS)
كأداة لاختيار مسار طريق مقترح
إعداد
عماد بشير سلامة دواس
إشراف
أ.د. سمير عبد الله أبو عيشة
قدمت هذه الأطروحة استكمالاً للحصول على درجة الماجستير في هندسة الطرق والمواصلات، كلية الدراسات العليا-جامعة النجاح الوطنية، نابلس- فلسطين
2005
الملخص
تعتبر عملية اختيار أفضل مسار لطريق مقترح عملية معقدة بسبب كثرة المتغيرات التي يجب احذها بالاعتبار عند اختيار المسار وذلك لتحقيق أفضل النتائج . ومن أهم هذه المتغيرات تلك المتعلقة بالنواحي البيئية والاقتصادية والسياسية، مناطق التجمعات السكنية، الطبيعة الطبوغرافية والجيولوجية لمنطقة الطريق المقترح، يمكن تمثيل هذه المتغيرات بسهولة من خلال استخدام أنظمة المعلومات الجغرافية (GIS).
تم الاستفادة في هذه الدراسة من إمكانيات أنظمة المعلومات الجغرافية (GIS) والتي تتمثل في القدرة العالية على التعامل مع الخرائط المختلفة ودمجها وإعداد التحليلات المكانية المختلفة باستخدام الجداول المربوطة مع كل طبقة من الطبقات التي تحتوي خرائط منطقة الدراسة.
في هذه الدراسة تم إنشاء نموذج لاختيار أفضل مسار لشارع مقترح و تم استخدامه في اقتراح عدة مسارات. وبعد تصميمها باستخدام برنامج ( Softdesk)، تم استخدام النموذج في تحليل وتقييم الآثار السلبية الناتجة من كل مسار ومن ثم اختيار المسار الأفضل الذي له أقل تأثير سلبي على الجوانب البيئية والاقتصادية والسياسية. وقد تم فحص النموذج من خلال استخدامه في دراسة لشارع مقترح بين نابلس وجنين في شمال الضفة الغربية وذلك بعد اقتراح ثلاثة خيارات لهذا الشارع باستخدام النموذج.
ظهرت إمكانيات هذا النموذج في المراحل الأولية من اقتراح الخيارات بحيث تم تجنب المناطق الحساسة المختلفة والتي تم تحديدها مسبقاً. كما ظهرت إمكانيات النموذج من خلال إمكانية الحصول على مقطع طولي لأي مسار يتم اقتراحه، و بالتالي ساعد هذا النموذج في اقتراح مسارات بأقل كميات قطع وطم من ناحية، وأقل ميل من ناحية أخرى.
في المراحل النهائية للدراسة أظهر النموذج دقة عالية في تحديد وتحليل الأضرار التي الحقها كل واحد من الخيارات المقترحة ومن ثم تقييم هذه الآثار واختيار المسار الأفضل. وقد تبين من نتائج هذا البحث أن هناك إمكانية كبيرة لاستخدام أنظمة المعلومات الجغرافية ( GIS) كأداة فعالة في اختيار أفضل مسار لطريق مقترح بأقل الأضرار المتوقعة.
V
Table of Contents
Content Page
Committee Decision ……………………… II
Dedication ………………………………… III
Acknowledgment ……………………...…. IV
Table of Contents ………………………… V
List of Tables ……………………………... VIII
List of Figures …………………………….. IX
List of Appendices………………………… XI
Abstract ……………………………………. XII
1. INTRODUCTION…………………………… 2
1.1 Background………………………………... 2
1.2 Objectives…………………………………. 2
1.3 Importance of the Stud…………………… 3
1.4 Study Area………………………………… 4
1.1 Study Outline……………………………… 4
2. LITERATURE REVIE………………………. 8
2.1 GIS Applications in Transportation Planning.. 8
2.1.1 Introduction…………………………………... 8
2.1.2 Worldwide GIS Application in Transportation Studies 8
2.1.3 Local GIS Applications in Transportation and Traffic 12
2.2 GIS Studies in Route Location and Highway
Alignment…………………………………………. 14
3. METHODOLOGY……………………………… 20
3.1 Introduction…………………………………... 20
3.2 Data Collection and Variables Identification… 21
3.3 Software Selection…………………………… 24
3.3.1 GIS Software…………………………..…... 24
3.3.2 CAD Software Used……………………… 25
3.4 GIS Model Building………………………….. 26
3.4.1 Input Data Phase…………………………... 29
VI
3.4.2 Define Alternatives Phase…………………. 30
3.4.3 Design Phase………………………………. 33
3.4.4 Analysis Phase…………………………….. 33
3.4.5 The Evaluation and Final selection Phase..... 35
3.5 Weighting System………………………………. 35
3.5.1 Environmental Assessment………………... 36
3.5.2 Modified Weighting and Ranking System… 38
4. PPLICATION…………………………………… 42
4.1 Introduction…………………………………... 42
4.2 Existing Roads Conditions…………………… 42
4.3 Data Collection………………………………. 44
4.3.1 Topography………………………………... 45
4.3.2 Agricultural Lands………………………… 46
4.3.3 Natural Reserves, Forests and Biodiversity Areas 46
4.3.4 Palestinian Built-up Areas and Population……... 48
4.3.5 Water Resources………………………………... 48
4.3.6 Israeli Settlements and Separation Wall……... 52
4.3.7 Existing Roads………………………………….. 52
4.3.8 Cultural Sites……………………………………. 52
4.3.9 Geology…………………………………………. 56
4.4 Data Preparation Phase…………………………. 56
4.5 Alternatives Generation Phase………………….. 63
4.5.1 Exploration for Continuous Path…………….. 64
4.5.2 Preliminary Centerline Selection…………….. 77
4.5.3 Final Centerline Selection……………………. 80
4.6 Design Phase……………………………………. 80
4.6.1 General Design Considerations and Assumptions 82
4.6.2 Horizontal Alignment Design…………………... 85
4.6.3 Vertical Alignment Design……………………... 85
4.7 Analysis Phase…………………………………….. 89
4.8 Evaluation and Final Selection Phase………... 102
4.8.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of All Alternatives102
4.8.2 Final Selection…………………………………….. 105
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS…… 108
5.1 Conclusions……………………………………... 108
5.2 Recommendations………………………………. 110
REFERENCES…………………………………….. 112
APPENDICES……………………………………… 115
الملخص ................................................................. ب
Chapter Five
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusions
This study aimed to use GIS as a tool for route location and highway alignment application. There are several GIS packages available, but there is no one designed especially for this application. ArcView was customized for such application in this study, using external extensions. Applications were then tested the utility of the customized ArcView. This study was applied to find the location of a proposed highway that connects Nablus in the south with Jenin in the north of a selected study area, for which all relevant data was collected. Data included information about the study area, such as agricultural, forest, biodiversity areas, natural reserves, and water resources. This data also included information about the built-up areas either the Palestinian built-up areas or Israeli settlements in the study area. Other data was collected about the cultural sites, geological faults, Separation Wall, and the isolated areas.
Based on the study results, the following conclusions are made:
1. The developed GIS model has demonstrated the potential of using GIS technology as a tool to assist in route location and highway alignment applications.
2. It has been shown that using GIS in route location and highway alignment can be flexible and has the capability to expand easily and accommodate any additional required data layers, such as soil and geological features, to represent the real world, where the highway will be aligned. On the other hand, the model can take additional data and layers that comes from the future plans of the study area.
3. The importance of the developed model came from the interaction between 3D-Analyst and Spatial Analyst extensions when the slope of the topography was considered in selecting the best route. The division of the study area according to its slope and merging the different slope areas with the forbidden and permissible areas prove the importance.
4. Interface with CADD software (Softdesk) allows interaction with the capabilities of GIS model, because ArcView is very limited in design features. This allows for the design of horizontal and vertical alignments.
5. This study proved to be a good analytical tool in conducting the impacts of suggested highway on the environment elements such as agricultural areas, biodiversity areas, forest areas, and on water resources. This will help in reducing the negative effects on these areas and resources.
6. The developed model showed high capabilities of dealing with 3D in two ways:
a) determining the preliminary centerline and avoiding the topography with steep slopes using Profile Extractor Extension PE;
b) showing the designed highway in 3D and simulating a driving experience, thus giving a trial simulation of the highway before it is constructed and visual checking the sight distance.
5.2 Recommendations
The application of GIS technology in the route selection and highway alignment is still in the development stage, where the developed model is not fully complete. It is hoped that with the continued process of usage, improvement, and modifications, will result in experience gaining in the use of the GIS technology, and will aid engineers and planners in all different stages of highway location and design project. This study has shown the potential of GIS as a tool for route location and highway alignment. Consequently, the development of a comprehensive GIS model for this application and other transportation applications should be pursued. Recommendations for further studies are presented below:
1. It is recommended to concentrate the efforts to develop GIS extensions for the design of highway, so that the highways can be designed without using CADD software. Therefore, GIS will help engineers and planners in the suggestion, design, analysis, and evaluation of highway alignment.
2. It is recommended to develop a GIS model to be a decision making tool. So that, this model can, on one hand, automatically analyze and calculate the earthworks volumes as well as the different impacted areas. On the other hand, the developed model can select the best alternative using an input impact weighting system.
3. It is recommended to improve the weighting system so that it contains more detailed information about the geology of the study area and about noise pollution as well as air pollution.
4. It is recommended that 3D Analyst and 3D Incontrol extensions be used in calculating and determining the sight distance. This is because 3D Incontrol has the ability to show the real topography in 3D as well as the ability to simulate driving in the designed highway.
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Figure (1) Location of the Study Area in the Northern part of West Bank
Figure (2) Detailed Study Area
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