A web-based decision support framework for optimizing road network accessibility and emergency facility allocation during flooding

Yazeed Alabbad; Jerry Mount; Ann M. Campbell; Ibrahim Demir

doi:10.1007/s44212-024-00040-0

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A web-based decision support framework for optimizing road network accessibility and emergency facility allocation during flooding

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

A web-based decision support framework for optimizing road network accessibility and emergency facility allocation during flooding

Yazeed Alabbad, Jerry Mount, Ann M. Campbell and Ibrahim Demir

Urban Informatics, Vol.3(1), 10

03/08/2024

DOI: 10.1007/s44212-024-00040-0

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Abstract

Transportation systems can be significantly affected by flooding, leading to physical damage and hindering accessibility. Despite flooding being a frequent occurrence, there are limited accessible online tools available for supporting routing and emergency planning decisions during flooding. Existing tools are generally based on complicated models and are not easily accessible to non-expert users, highlighting the need for efficient communication and decision-making tools for analyzing flood impacts on transportation networks for various stakeholders, including the public, to minimize the adverse impacts on those groups. This paper presents a web application that uses graph network methods and the latest web technologies and standards to assist in describing flood events in terms of operational constraints and provide analytical methods to support mobility and mitigation decisions during these events. The framework is designed to be user-friendly, enabling non-expert users to access information about road status, shortest paths to critical amenities, location-allocation, and service coverage. The study area includes the following two communities in the State of Iowa, Cedar Rapids and Charles City, which were used to test the application's functionality and explore the outcomes. Our research demonstrates that flooding can significantly affect bridge operation, routing from locations to critical amenities, arbitrary point-to-point routing, planning for emergency facility placement, and service area accessibility. The introduced framework can solve complex flood-related analytical decision tasks and provide an understandable representation of transportation vulnerability, enhancing mitigation strategies. Therefore, this web application provides a valuable tool for stakeholders to make informed decisions on transportation networks during flood events.

Geography

Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Earth and Environmental Science

Geographical Information Systems/Cartography

Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning

Original Article

Details

Title: Subtitle: A web-based decision support framework for optimizing road network accessibility and emergency facility allocation during flooding
Creators: Yazeed Alabbad - IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering, University of Iowa, Civil Engineering, King Saud University
Jerry Mount - University of Iowa
Ann M. Campbell - University of Iowa
Ibrahim Demir - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Urban Informatics, Vol.3(1), 10
DOI: 10.1007/s44212-024-00040-0
eISSN: 2731-6963
Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore
Language: English
Date published: 03/08/2024
Academic Unit: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center; Business Analytics
Record Identifier: 9984568048502771

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