The multiple data and geographic knowledge approach to a liquid toxic road accident mitigation - two block GIS data processing for an operative intervention

Abstract

One of the current tasks of disaster management is to effectively counter toxic accidents on traffic communications. The paper demonstrates the procedure of the use of geographic data and knowledge with GIS technology for the operational mitigation of accident impacts on the traffic communication with leakage of toxic substance. A simulated leakage of toxic liquid substance on a highway in the Czech Republic was chosen as an example.

The process is divided into two units. In the first preparatory block, data on soils and the geological environment are analysed and purpose oriented pre-processed. The data layer generally describes the expected movement of pollutants, e.g. predominant surface runoff, or predominant infiltration and/or a balanced combination of both of them. In the second operational unit, a location of the accident is precisely identified and the estimation of possible routes of pollutant runoff is performed with respect to the current status of the territory. Key points on these routes are identified with the aim to select mitigation measures and optimum access routes modelled for intervention techniques to reach key points in order to prevent contamination of water bodies.