Year
2008
Abstract
Researchers at the University of Missouri have previously developed and demonstrated a methodology to analyze information via a geographic information system (GIS) to assist in the route-selection process for the transportation of nuclear materials. That analysis included the consideration of road characteristics (access control and medians) and the potential population that could be impacted by a transportation incident (how many people live in various block groups and how close the centroids of those blocks are from the roadway of interest). What were not analyzed were environmental conditions in the vicinity of a roadway that might contribute to the risk associated with an incident. This paper discusses an analysis of wind speed and direction as potentially influencing airborne material transport. Wind can blow material towards and away from given populations. Wind speed can also impact the amount and types of materials transported. Wind roses, describing the frequency of wind blowing from a given direction as well as the frequency of the wind in that direction occurring in a given speed range, are utilized in the analysis. The variability within these factors that exists within any given month and throughout the year means that the assessment is probabilistically based. This paper builds upon the previous research by incorporating additional parameters into the analysis methodology and by utilizing the GIS techniques and data layers (e.g., the spatial distribution of where people live) developed previously. As before, the analysis is demonstrated on portions of alternate roadway routes between Cincinnati, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky.