A Spatial Decision Support System Prototype for Assessing Road Hazmat Accident Impacts on the Population in a Dense Urban Area: a Case Study of the City of Nice, French Riviera
Résumé
The authors present a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) for assessing the impact of a gas release from a hazmat (Hazardous Material) transportation accident on the population in a dense urbanized area (Nice, French Riviera). The data of hazmat type and routing come from two complementary prototypes: i) a hazmat identification system which recognizes the UN code of hazardous material carried by trucks ii) onboard sensors and GPS monitoring the flows of some hazmat trucks in real time. The Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) is associated to the GIS platform in order to assess the dispersion distances of gas releases in the case of a hazmat accident on the highway that crosses the city of Nice on its northern sector. The SDSS provides maps of the population, infrastructures, environmental and economic stakes potentially affected by the gas release and it estimates the number of targets affected. This SDSS is dedicated to the emergency units and the highway companies in order to help the decision-makers in a context of crisis management. This SDSS is also a means to make the public authorities aware of the importance of the hazmat accident prevention and regulation.