Optimal Route Selection of the Trans-ECOWAS Line Based on Ghana Railway Development – An Integrated Approach Using Entropy, TOPSIS and Least Cost Path Analysis
Keywords:
Multi-criteria decision methods, Entropy, TOPSIS, Least Cost Path Analysis, Trans- ECOWAS
Abstract
In this study, an integrated approach of a GIS - based Least Cost Path Analysis (Dijsktra Algorithm) and Multi-criteria decision methods (MCDM) techniques comprising of ENTROPY and TOPSIS was employed for the selection of the optimal route from Aflao to Elubo based on calculation of the cost grid surface in the ArcGIS environment. Topographic data containing digital elevation models, forest reserves, drainage features, land use and settlement data were used for the study. The results showed a model of an optimal route with a length of 471.34 kilometers as against the 540.60 kilometer distance by road. Hence, saving a travel distance of 69.26 kilometers. Also, the proposed distance of the Trans-ECOWAS line was approximately 498 kilometers, which is about 26.66 kilometers further distance compared to the optimal route proposed by this studies. Hence, an economical route has been proposed in terms of time, travel and construction cost. The route passes through four (4) coastal regions. Towns located along the route in the Volta Region includes; Aflao, Tokpo, Mepe, Gefia and Weija, Ablekuma, Ofankor and Mobole are among the towns in the Greater Accra Region found along the stretch. In the Central Region; Efutu, Amissakrom, Ewuoyaa, Mankessim, Apaa and Gomoa Lome are located along the proposed route. Towns along the stretch in the Western Region includes Pataho, Ashiaem, Agege, Amoakwasuazo and completes at Elubo. The optimal route will achieve the lowest cost of railway construction based on calculation of the cost raster layers.
References
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Akwetteh, L.N., Xu, C., Dita, M., Widya, P., Okoe, L.N., 2021. The Current Railway Development and Its Influencing Factors in Ghana. Open Journal of Social Sciences 9 (3), 228-244. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2021.93015.
Akyen, T., Boye, C.B., Ziggah, Y.Y., 2017. Land Fill Lifespan Estimation: A Case Study. Ghana Mining Journal 17 (2), 1-5.
Albert, G., Sárközy, Z., 2021. Route planning on orienteering maps with least-cost path analysis. Proceedings of the ICA (International Cartographic Association), December, 14-18.
Aschilean, I., Badea, G., Giurea, I., Naghiu, S., IIoaie, F., 2016. Choosing the optimal technology to rehabilitate the pipes in water distribution systems using the AHP method. Energy Procedia 112, 19-26.
Atkinson, D.M., Deadman, P., Dudycha, D., Traynor, S., 2005. Multicriteria evaluation and least cost path analysis for artic all-weather road. Applied Geography 25 (4), 287-307.
Bouraima, M.B., Qiu, Y., Yusupov, B., Ndjegwes, C.M., 2020. A Study on the Development Strategy of the Railway Transportation System in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Based on the SWOT/AHP Technique. Scientific African 8 (e00388), 1-11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00388.
Berry, J.K., 2007. Routing and optimal paths. Basis Press. http://www.innovativegis.com/basis/MapAnalysis/Topic19.htm, Accessed: May 3, 2022.
Carneiro, J.F., Mesquita, P., 2014. ScienceDirect Definition of CCS Provinces with Multi-criteria and Least Cost Path Analysis. 63, 2645–2654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.287.
Chandio, I., Matori, A.N., Aftab, M., Talpur, H., Khahro, S.H., 2012. Computer Application in Routing of Road using Least-Cost Path Analysis in Hillside Development. September.
Choi, Y., Park, H., Sunwoo, C., Resources, M., 2009. Multi-Criteria Evaluation and Least Cost Path Analysis for Optimal Haulage Routing in Open-Pit Mines. October.
Etherington, T.R., Holland, E.P., 2013. Least-cost path length versus accumulated-cost as connectivity measures. Landscape Ecology 28 (7), 1223-1229.
Ghana Railways Master Plan, 2013. Provision of Engineering Consulting Services for the Preparation of the Railway Master Plan of Ghana. Final Report, December.
Harrington, W., McConnell, V., 2003. Motor Vehicles and the Environment, 1616Pstreet, Northwest, Washington D.C. Resources for the Future, 1-96.
Herzog, I., 2013. Review of Least Cost Analysis of Social Landscapes. Archaeological Case Studies, Internet Archaeology 34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.34.7.
Huseynli, S., 2015. Determination of the Most Suitable oil pipeline route using GIS Least Cost Path Analysis,Universidad Jaume, Keystone. Published MSc Project, 1-53.
Liu, C., Wang, Q., Cao, Z., 2022. An intelligent optimization method for highway route selection based on comprehensive weight and TOPSIS. PLoS ONE 17 (2), e0262588. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262588.
Ismail, M.H., 2015. Quantification Of Least Cost Path Analysis For Best Forest Road plannig. Malaysian Forester 77 (2), 101-110.
Kang, C., Lee, J., 2003. Extensions to least - cost path algorithms for roadway planning. International Journal of Geographical Information Science 17 (4), 361-376.
Karuppanagounder, K., Venkatachalam, T.A., 2012. Effect of road width and traffic volume on vehicular interactions in heterogenous traffic. Journal of Advanced Transportation 48, 1-14.
Keelson, K.B., 2015. Evaluation of Landfill Cover Design Options for Waste Disposal Sites in the Coastal Regions of Ghana. International Journal of Engineering and Technology Innovation 5 (1), 45-55.
Kumi-Boateng, B., Peprah, M.S., Larbi, E.K., 2020. The integration of Analytical Hierarchy Process ( AHP ), Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process ( FAHP ), and Bayesian Belief Network ( BBN ) for flood-prone areas identification – A Case study of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Journal of Geomatics 14 (2), 100-122.
Larbi, E.K., Boye, C.B., Peprah, M. S., 2018. A GIS Approach in Optimal Route Selection in Mining Communities Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process and the Least Cost Path Analysis - A Case Study. 5th UMaT Biennial International Mining and Mineral Conference, 50-62.
Latuszynka, A., 2013. Multiple –Criteria Decision Analysis using TOPSIS method for Interval data in research into the level of Information society Development. Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia. https://doi.org/doi:10.2478/foli-2013-0015.
Ma, F., He, J., Ma, J., Xia, S., 2017. Evaluation of urban green transportation planning based on central point triangle whiten weight function and entropy-AHP. Transportation Research Procedia 25, 3634-3644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.328.
Mugiyo, H., Chimonyo, V.G.P., Sibanda, M., Kunz, R., Masemola, C.R., Modi, A.T., Mabhaudhi, T., 2021. Evaluation of Land Suitability Methods with Reference to Neglected and Underutilised Crop Species : A Scoping Review. Land 10 (2), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10020125.
Okyere, C.Y., Yacouba, Y., Gilgenbach, D., 2013. The problem of annual occurrences of floods in Accra: An integration of hydrological, economic, and political perspectives. Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management 8 (2), 45-79.
Peprah, M.S., Boye, C., Appau, P.O., Larbi, E.K., 2018. Suitability analysis for siting oil and gas filling stations using multi-criteria decision analysis and GIS approach – A case study in Tarkwa and its environs. Journal of Geomatics 12 (2), 158-166.
Peprah, M.S., Mensah, I.O., 2017. Performance Evaluation of the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and Total Least Square (TLS) in Adjusting Field Data: An Empirical Study on a DGPS Data. Journal of Geomatics 6 (1), 73-89.
Raheem, S.B., Olawoore, W.A., Olagunju, D.P., Adeokun, E.M. 2015. The Cause, Effect and Possible Solution to Traffic Congestion on Nigeria Road (A Case study of Basorun Road, Oyo state). International Journal Engineering Science Invention 4 (9), 10-14.
Rogers, S.R., 2015. Methods For Detecting Prehistoric Contexts Giovanna Pizziolo Lucia Sarti ( eds ). September 2013.
Shih, H., Shyur, H., Lee, E.S., 2006. An extension of TOPSIS for group decision making, mathematical and computer modelling. Mathematical and Computer Modelling 45 (7-8), 801-813. https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.mem.2006.03.023.
Sładkowski, A., Cieśla, M., 2015. Influence of a Potential Railway Line Connecting the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea on the Development of Eurasian Trade. Naše More: Znanstveni Časopis Za More i Pomorstvo 62 (4), 264-271. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17818/NM/2015/4.4.
Suleiman, S., Agarwal, V.C., Lal, D., Sunusi, A., 2015. Optimal Route Location by least cost path analysis (LCP) using GIS, A Case study. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Technology Research 4 (44), 9621-9626.
Tischler, S., 2017. Finding the right way - a new approach for route selection procedures ? Transportation Research Procedia 25, 2809-2823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.247.
Troch, F., Vanelslander, T., Léonard, A., Limbourg, S., Merchan, A., Mostert, M., Pau- wels, T., Stevens, V., Sys, C., Tawfik, C., Verhoest, K., 2015. BRAIN TRAINS: Intermodal rail freight transport and hinterland connections. A SWOT analysis to assess the Belgian rail practice. BIVEC-GIBET Transport Research Day 2015, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Vaissi, S., Sharifi, M., 2021. The least cost path analysis of landscape genetics identifies two dispersal routes for the threatened Kaiser’s mountain newt (Caudata : Salamandridae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 59 (7), 1491-1502. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzs.12510.
Waldrip, S.H., Niven, R.K., Abel, M., Schlegel, M., 2017. Maximum Entropy Analysis of Transport Networks. September. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4985364.
Wang, Y., Wang, K., Guo, F., 2022. Green Development Evaluation of Tai’an Based on Entropy Method. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing 8472758, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8472758.
Wong, M.S., Wong, M.S., Nichol, J., Ng, E., Guilbert, E., Hei, K., To, P.H., Wang, J., 2010. GIS techniques for mapping urban wind ventilation , using frontal area index and least cost path analysis. Honkong Polytechnic University, January.
Zhang, H., Li, Y., Zhang, Q., Chen, D., 2021. Route selection of multimodal transport based on china railway transportation. Journal of Advanced Transportation 9984659, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9984659.
Published
2022-12-29
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Articles
Copyright (c) 2022 Edwin Kojo Larbi, Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi, Naa Lamkai, Michael Stanley Peprah, Benedict Asamoah, Philip Okantey
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