9362170 SMOTRITSKY The location of surface-transportation routes and utility corridors requires consideration of economic, political, engineering, and environmental issues. The potential for simultaneously considering these diverse factors has been increased dramatically in recent years through the development of sophisticated geographic information systems (GISs), but procedures for analyzing data in ways that identify optimal routes have not yet been developed. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will begin work on the development and application of an algorithm to identify least- cost and environmentally acceptable route locations between points. Special attention will be given to three major facets of the optimal route location problem. With respect to identification of the shortest path, this project will focus on adaptation of an algorithm that minimizes metrication errors that result from characteristics of the spatial units for which data are associated. The project will address directional factors, especially the role of slopes in terrain that can have a major impact on the operation of transport and utility systems, by introducing elements of a third dimension into calculations. The project also will consider the practical need to consider how routes cross boundaries between parcels, because past experience has shown that route location problems are reduced when fewer parcels are affected. This phase of the project will consist of four parts: (1) the testing and improvement of an existing algorithm to determine the computational complexity of adaptations, (2) evaluation of commercially available geographic databases to provide terrain and boundary information for test calculations, (3) creation of a graphical interface for users to simplify information entry for additional data, and (4) application of a revised algorithm in a small-scale demonstration project focusing on highway location in western New York state. The test demonstration will be undertaken in cooperation with officials of the New York State Department of Transportation. Through development and testing of this algorithm, the investigators will advance the capabilities for GISs to address a critical set of problems in a more powerful and efficient way. The use of this type of algorithm is expected to reduce construction costs of transportation routes and utility corridors by four to seven percent, thereby saving both public- and private-sector organizations millions of dollars annually. This type of algorithm also will help the U.S. maintain its competitive advantage in geographic information systems, a rapidly growing segment of the information technology industry. ***
