Demonstration of a Geographic Information System Methodology to Quantify Risk Factors for the Transportation of Nuclear Materials

The risk associated with the transportation of nuclear materials can be impacted by many factors of the transportation system, as well as by the area through which the materials may travel. Informed decision-making, with regard to the safety of a given route, requires a quantitative evaluation of pertinent information, or conditions. Geographic information systems (GIS) are often used to display spatial information. The utility of a GIS can be enhanced by the ability to combine and quantify the various data layers of the GIS. The authors have previously developed a methodology that can be used to quantify the conditions that impact risk over a segment of a transportation route. The methodology aggregates the impact of a condition based on the magnitude of the impacting condition and its location with respect to the transportation corridor. This paper is a proof-of-concept demonstration for the methodology for the factors of the amount of traffic on the roadway segment, the curves and elevation changes of the roadway, and the population in the vicinity of the roadway. The methodology is particularly suited to a comparison of alternative routes for decision making.