Engineering Commons^™

Climate Change Impact On Bridge Scour Risk In Ny State: A Gis-Based Risk Analysis Model, Muhammad Hassan Butt

Publications and Research

Bridge scour, the primary cause of bridge failure in the United States, escalates post-severe storms, necessitating effective mitigation. This study employs a GIS-based risk analysis model to assess climate change's impact on bridge scour and associated risks in New York State. Data from the National Bridge Inventory, climate hazard maps, and geospatial data are integrated.

Mapping Ecotourism Potential In Bangladesh: The Integration Of An Analytical Hierarchy Algorithm And Geospatial Data, Muhallil Abtahee, Afra Anika Islam, Md. Nazmul Haque, Hasan Zonaed, Samiha Mahzabin Ritu, S. M. Imdadul Islam, Atiq Zaman

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The significance of ecotourism has been increasing due to its potential for biodiversity preservation, economic advancement, and the promotion of sustainability awareness. In this research, geospatial analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to identify feasible ecotourism sites in Bangladesh. The study applied Geographical Information System–Remote Sensing (GIS-RS) parameters and weighted overlay techniques for selected ecotourism characteristics, such as natural attractiveness, topographic features, accessibility, proximity to facilities, and community characteristics. The study found that a significant proportion (around 44%) of Bangladesh’s land exhibits high potential for ecotourism. Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, and Rangamati are particularly favorable ecotourism locations. However, …

Temporal Lidar Scanning In Quantifying Cumulative Rockfall Volume And Hazard Assessment: A Case Study At Southwestern Saudi Arabia, Abdullah A. Alotaibi, Norbert H. Maerz, Kenneth J. Boyko, Ahmed M. Youssef, Biswajeet Pradhan

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rockfalls and unstable slopes pose a serious threat to people and property along roads/highways in the southwestern mountainous regions of Saudi Arabia. In this study, the application of terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology was applied aiming to propose a strategy to analyze and accurately depict the detection of rockfall changes, calculation of rockfall volume, and evaluate rockfall hazards along the Habs Road, Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia. A series of temporal LiDAR scans were acquired at three selected sites. Our results show that these three sites have different degrees of hazard due to their geological differences. The mean volume …

Os-Walk-Eu: An Open-Source Tool To Assess Health-Promoting Residential Walkability Of European City Structures, Stefan Fina, Christian Gerten, Brian Pondi, Lorraine D'Arcy, Niamh O' Reilly, David Sousa Vale, Mauro Pereira, Samuele Zilio

Articles

Introduction This paper introduces OS-WALK-EU, a new open-source walkability assessment tool developed specifically for urban neighbourhoods and using open-source spatial data. A free and open-source tool, OS-WALK-EU is accessible to the general public. It uses open data available worldwide and free online services to compute accessibility, while at the same time allowing users to integrate local datasets if available. Based on a review of existing measurement concepts, the paper adopts dimensions of walkability that were tested in European city environments and explains their conceptualization for software development. We invite the research community to collaboratively test, adopt and use the tool …

Gis-Based Volunteer Cotton Habitat Prediction And Plant-Level Detection With Uav Remote Sensing, Tianyi Wang, Xiaohan Mei, J. Alex Thomasson, Chenghai Yang, Xiongzhe Han, Pappu Kumar Yadav, Yeyin Shi

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Volunteer cotton plants germinate and grow at unwanted locations like transport routes and can serve as hosts for a harmful cotton pests called cotton boll weevils. The main objective of this study was to develop a geographic information system (GIS) framework to efficiently locate volunteer cotton plants in the cotton production regions in southern Texas, thus reducing time and economic cost for their removal. A GIS network analysis tool was applied to estimate the most likely routes for cotton transportation, and a GIS model was created to identify and visualize potential areas of volunteer cotton growth. The GIS model indicated …

Karst Sinkhole Detecting And Mapping Using Airborne Lidar, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18GTUNM01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The focus of this study is to detect sinkhole hazards using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The premise is sinkholes, particularly those close to transportation infrastructure assets, could cause substantial damages to infrastructure assets, and therefore, being able to accurately and rapidly detect them is essential. However, it is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsafe to survey sinkholes using conventional ground observation methods. This research project was focused on developing accurate and rapid airborne LiDAR-based sinkhole detection and mapping methods, and …

Karst Sinkhole Detecting And Mapping Using Airborne Lidar, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

The focus of this study is to detect sinkhole hazards using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The premise is sinkholes, particularly those close to transportation infrastructure assets, could cause substantial damages to infrastructure assets, and therefore, being able to accurately and rapidly detect them is essential. However, it is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsafe to survey sinkholes using conventional ground observation methods. This research project was focused on developing accurate and rapid airborne LiDAR-based sinkhole detection and mapping methods, and transfer the technologies to transportation engineers for implementation and workforce development. The project team also identified best practices …

Development Of Digital Bathymetry Maps For Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo Using Sonar And Remote Sensing Techniques, Michael Piasecki, Mahrokh Moknatian, Fred Moshary, Jorge Gonzalez

Publications and Research

This article presents an improved algorithm for optimization and development of a digital bathymetric model (DBM) for Lake Azuei (LA) (Haiti) and Lake Enriquillo (LE) (Dominican Republic) using the ANUDEM method. Both sonar data and contour lines of the lakes’ layout extracted using Landsat imagery were compiled for bathymetry development. We show that the performance of the ANUDEM method was strongly dependent on the density and irregularity of the spatial distribution of the data. Changing the resolution of the output grids and deriving auxiliary topographically corrected contours improved the ANUDEM performance and minimized the systematic errors of the method. Statistical …

Gis Framework For Spatiotemporal Mapping Of Urban Flooding, Sayed Joinal Hossain Abedin, Haroon Stephen

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

This research aims to develop a framework using the Geographic Information System (GIS) to perform modeling and mapping of flood spatiotemporal variation in urban micro-watersheds. The GIS-framework includes a workflow of several methods and processes including delineation of urban watershed, generation of runoff hydrographs, and time series mapping of inundation depths and flood extent. This framework is tested in areas previously known to have experienced flooding at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas main campus, including Black Parking Lot (Blacklot) and East Mall. Calibration is performed by varying Digital Elevation Model (DEM) resolution, rainfall temporal resolution, and clogging factor whereas …

Sea Level Rise And Land Subsidence In Coastal Louisiana: Forecasting, Mapping And Identification Of At-Risk Transportation Infrastructure, Sanjay Tewari, Francis Manning, Wesley Palmer

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The coast of Louisiana is under threat because of sea level rise and land subsidence. Sea water is encroaching deeper inland and as a result Louisiana is losing land at an alarming rate. The combined effect of sea level rise and land subsidence is variable spatially. This paper focuses on this combined effect in identifying the transportation infrastructure that is at risk of getting affected by the seawater inundation of the land.

This paper attempts to account for land elevation data monitored continuously at various locations along the coast of Louisiana and combining it with local sea level rise to …

Over-Citing Or Under-Citing? A Gis-Based Analysis Of The Relationship Between Crashes And Citations, Mitchell Page

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

In July of 2017, the Boston Globe published an article titled “Driving Through These Towns in Mass.? Watch Your Speed” [1] that among other elements, included a series of maps and a brief summary identifying Massachusetts municipalities that had the most traffic violations issued between 2010 and 2016. The article stated that the Massachusetts State Police issued the most citations of any police agency in the state, and that many citations were given along major highways, especially Interstate 90 and major highways and routes that intersect it, such as Interstate 84 and Route 20. Despite the public attention-grabbing nature of …

A Review Of 3d Gis For Use In Creating Virtual Historic Dublin, Alain Chenaux, Maurice Murphy, S. Pavia, S. Fai, T. Molnar, John Cahill, Shane Lenihan, A. Corns

Conference papers

This paper illustrates how BIM integration with GIS is approached as part of the workflow in creating Virtual Historic Dublin. A design for a WEB based interactive 3D model of historic buildings and centres in Dublin City (Virtual Historic Dublin City) paralleling smart city initiates is now under construction and led by the National Monuments at the Office of Public Works in Ireland. The aim is to facilitate the conservation and maintenance of historic infrastructure and fabric and the dissemination of knowledge for education and cultural tourism using an extensive Historic Building Information Model. Remote sensing data is now processed …

Identification Of Transportation Infrastructure At Risk Due To Sea Level Rise And Subsidence Of Land In Coastal Louisiana, Sanjay Tewari, Wesley Palmer

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The coast of Louisiana is under threat because of sea level rise and land subsidence. Sea water is encroaching deeper inland and as a result Louisiana is losing at an alarming rate. The combined effect of sea level rise and land subsidence is variable spatially. This paper focuses on this combined effect in identifying the transportation infrastructure that is at risk of getting affected by the sea-water inundation of the land.

This paper is an attempt of taking account of land elevation data monitored continuously at various locations along the coast of Louisiana and combining it with local sea level …

Bathymetry Data For Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo, Michael Piasecki, Mahrokh Moknatian

Publications and Research

This data set supports and forms the basis for the development of Digital Bathymetry Models (DBM) for Lakes Azuei (Haiti) and Enriquillo (Dominican Republic). Bathymetric Data is typically acquired using Sonar devices that measure the depth at specific points along a boat track and for which the longitude and latitude is recorded. From the resulting point cloud one develop a seamless representation of the floor of the lake on either a raster set (which is what we have done) or try to use a contour (vector representation) model in which the depth contours appear as polygons or -lines. The raw …

Systematic Approach To Identifying Deeply Buried Archeological Deposits, Anthony L. Layzell, Rolfe D. Mandel, Courtney L. Ziska, John R. Bozell

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This project is designed to assist cultural resource specialists involved in Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) project planning and development. The goal was to develop Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers that spatially delineate different landform-sediment assemblages (LSAs) and depict the associated geologic potential for buried cultural deposits in select watersheds in Nebraska. The Nebraska Buried Sites GIS resource will allow planners and cultural resource specialists to determine whether future project areas are likely to be free of deeply buried sites or whether subsurface exploration is necessary.

Land Suitability Analysis For Emergency Medical Services Posts Along State Highways: A Case Study Of California, Ernest Tufuor, Laurence Rilett, Yunwoo Nam, Antonio Hurtado Beltran

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The response time of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to road accidents can be the difference between life and death. The California strategic highway safety plan highlight the need to improve the response time and recognizes that: 37% and 8% of the fatal crashes are 30 or more miles away from a trauma center in rural and urban areas respectively.

The paper seeks to: (1) demonstrate the viability of using spatial multi-criteria analysis in road safety management, and (2) provide a good scientific justification in selecting optimal counties for EMS posts. The goal is to propose areas that are close to …

Analysis Of Traffic Collisions In Dublin Using Gis Based System, Jagteshwar Singh, Niamh O' Reilly

Conference papers

This study aims to analyse traffic collisions in the Greater Dublin Region between the period 2006-2012, using GIS to identify hotspots and examine the relationship between collisions and a range of contributory factors including vehicular speeds, traffic volume, road curvature, road category and distance from intersection that could enable prediction of traffic collisions. To this end, Road Safety Authority (RSA) collision data for Dublin Region geocoded as point events, road profiles, traffic flow characteristics on which these occur are spatially merged using ArcGIS and FME software to establish if a significant relationship exists between collision frequencies on road links and …

Snow And Ice Removal Route Optimization In Kentucky, Benjamin L. Blandford, Erin Lammers-Staats, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) spends $40-$80 million removing snow and ice from the state’s roadways. Snow and ice removal are accomplished through a system of snow and ice removal routes that are designed to account for location and the attributes of trucks, facilities, materials, and roadways. To identify strategies that will improve and optimize KYTC’s snow and ice removal operations, Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers used ArcGIS and its Network Analyst extension to study the performance of the Cabinet’s current routing procedures. Building from this investigation, researchers developed optimized snowplow routings for four counties located in KYTC …

Corrosion Map For Metal Pipes In Coastal Louisiana, Sanjay Tewari

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Transportation agencies often allow metal pipes as an option for cross drains under/along roads and highways. Metal culverts can corrode over time at various rates based on their environmental conditions (e.g., corrosive nature of coastal soils, high water table, and saltwater intrusion).

This project was focused on applying available soil data, such as spatial distribution of soil types and soil characteristics (e.g., pH and conductivity), towards creating a Geographic Information System (GIS) based map to identify corrosion zones in coastal Louisiana. The effect of the soil characteristics (pH and conductivity) was incorporated in to the published corrosion models for calculating …

Vulnerability Of Coastal Connecticut To Sea Level Rise: Land Inundation And Impacts To Residential Property, Rebecca Andreucci, Can B. Aktas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Vulnerability indices at the global or national scales require considerable data aggregation where local economic and social impacts remain unnoticed. The goal of this study was to analyze the extent of inundated land from sea level rise and its economic impacts to residential property in coastal communities. Geographic data were integrated with economic and social data at parcel level resolution through GIS. Cumulative land inundation in seven coastal municipalities was calculated as 15 and 25 km², while direct economic costs to residential property was estimated to be $1.3 billion and $2.2 billion for 1 and 2 m sea …

Laboratory Exercise – Frontrunner Extension, Meeya Apelu, Jordan Arrowchris, Joseph Browning

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

The Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) FrontRunner is a commuter rail line that runs 89 miles through Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. There are 16 different stops along this line which are: Pleasant View, Ogden, Roy, Clearfield, Layton, Farmington, Woods Cross, North Temple, Salt Lake Central, Murray Central, South Jordan, Draper, Lehi, American Fork, Orem and Provo (UTA 2017). Using the FrontRunner is easy and is very convenient. The popularity of this transit system is increasing and UTA has announced their future plans to continue the rail line. UTA is exploring ways to go forward with this plan and …

Laboratory Exercise – Calculating Runoff Over Land Parcels, Wade Bozeman, Steven Evans, Ryan Selee

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

When developing land, most municipalities will require that all runoff from the site be retained on site or flow into a storm water conveyance system. In the near future, new regulation will require that all runoff be retained on site. For this reason, it is important to know how much runoff can be expected to flow over a potential development site. In this lab, you will use ArcMap ModelBuilder to predict the amount of flow which can be expected over a land parcel in a storm event.

Final Group Project - Optimal Route Finding, Jason Biesinger, Levi Burr, Tyson Terry

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

Emergency response teams are always preparing rescue plans and protocols so they may respond quickly to various incidents. Fire trucks and ambulances need to arrive at the scene of the incident rapidly to mitigate injury, and avoid more damage to property in the case of a fire (Kolesar et al. 1973). Holidays are times of high incidence, and officials always plan for potential risks that surround large events. The network analysis toolbox can be used to find and map out the quickest route from a variety of locations. The network analysis toolset in ArcMap makes it possible for us to …

Laboratory X - Autonomous Vehicle Application, Nate Lant, Matthew Strong

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

Autonomous vehicles are currently the newest and hottest technology and show tremendous potential in making current transportation much more efficient. GIS is a key element in providing different mapping solutions and satellite assistance to support the cars in addition to their LIDAR and camera systems. Over the last few decades, different technologies have been integrated into cars to make them more user friendly--more autonomous. Recently, cars have been given a standardized range to categorize them into different levels of autonomy. The levels range from 0 to 5. Level 0 has no capacity of any autonomous technology; level 1 has cruise …

Laboratory Exercise - Calculating The Volume Of Material Displaced By Mount St. Helens Eruption Of 1980, Donald Anderson, Alex Fisher, Ken Lippold

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

There are several active volcanoes in the state of Washington. On May 18, 1980, one of these volcanoes, Mount St. Helens, erupted. On March 1, 1980, the University of Washington set up a seismograph in the area to monitor the volcano’s activity. On March 20, a minor earthquake was recorded under Mount St. Helens and the entire area was put on alert. Thanks to this warning, the locals were able to evacuate before the mountain erupted. Before fully erupting, some steam and ash was seen billowing out of the top, and on May 18, the volcano was ready to blow. …

Laboratory Exercise – Possible Zara Locations In Utah, Garlick Alyssa, Whitney Robison, Olivia Sorenson

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

GIS ModelBuilder can be used well for site selection. For this exercise, we will build a model that will automate the process of creating a map for the best locations in Utah to open a new Zara store. The principles presented here can easily be extrapolated to another state, country, or dataset to automate the process of site selection for retail stores.

Laboratory Exercise - Ideal Stargazing Locations Background, Michael Adamson, Brandon Walker, Nicholas Smith

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

Astrophotography is a specialized type of photography for recording photos of astronomical objects, celestial events, and large areas of the night sky. Astronomical photography employs long exposures so film or digital imaging devices can accumulate light photons over long periods of time. Urban areas produce light pollution so equipment and observatories doing astronomical imaging are often located in remote areas to allow long exposures without the film or detectors being swamped with stray light. Astrophotography is a popular hobby among photographers and amateur astronomers. Images of the night sky can be obtained with some of the most basic film and …

Laboratory Exercise – Saratoga Springs Temple Site Locator, Jordi Berrett, Josh Gibbons, Tyler Mickelson

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

On April 2, 2017, President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) announced that the LDS Church would build a temple in Saratoga Springs, Utah. The temple will be the eighteenth LDS temple built in Utah and the fifth in Utah County. It is anticipated that the temple will serve church members in Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Lehi, and other surrounding areas. The LDS Church carefully chooses optimal sites for their temples. LDS temples tend to be view-able from the surrounding area, usual. Temples are also usually near major highways and in areas that …

Zombie Shelter Location, Shanna Carroll, Tyler Lindsay, Hannah Rasmussen

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

One common use of GIS is determining ideal locations for projects. This is because GIS makes it very easy to combine and analyze spatial data in a customized way. In this exercise, assume that there has been a recent zombie outbreak in Utah, USA. To determine the ideal hideout location, data that indicates a safe location must be acquired and combined with geography that is conducive to wilderness survival. Once the data is gathered, spatial analysis using GIS overlay tools must be conducted to determine the ideal location for an anti-zombie hideaway hut. In this exercise, multiple tools will be …

Laboratory Exercise - Temple-View Least- Cost Mountain Bike Trail, Brad Wells, Jacob Wilcock

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) has created several guidelines that are used when locating and building new mountain bike trails. A GIS is can be used to generate possible locations for mountain bike trails while following guidelines given by the IMBA. These guidelines include maximum allowable slopes, avoiding fall lines, avoiding flat areas, and seeking areas that include control points such as viewpoints, water, or other attractions. One way to determine the most appropriate placement of a mountain bike trail is to create and run a model in ArcMap that has the necessary input parameters defined within the model. …