Route Alignment Selection and Planning for Ganga Express Way from Meerut to Prayagraj Region Based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Techniques with Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Techniques

The use of spatial data, satellite imagery, and advanced analytical techniques as well as Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is very helpful to assess the best route alignment for infrastructure projects. In this research, multiple criteria that influence the route alignment decision, such as terrain, land use, environmental implications, socioeconomic issues, and transportation connectivity are evaluated using different MCDA methodologies. Various spatial datasets have been prepared for the construction of the best route alignment model. In this research, the authors have considered seven different factors that affect the optimal route cost, after that relative importance of each factor was determined by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Then, integration of different thematic layer was done by weighted linear combination tool in the ArcGIS software. The authors have identified four possible routes and the optimal route among various possible routes is the one with lowest cost criteria value. This research will helpful in various ways such as transportation, disaster management, evacuation planning, infrastructure planning, agriculture, military, mining, and resource extraction.