Safer Transportation Network Design of Hazardous Materials Using Geographical Information Systems

Due to globalization supply chains have become humongous and highly complex. Drive for efficiency makes the supply chains very interdependent and tight. A small effect in one part of the world can cause huge effects almost like a ‘butterfly effect’. Reliability and resiliency are the two important properties of a good supply chain network. Many factors affect the reliability of a supply chain. One of the most important factors which is often overlooked is chemical hazards. Hazardous chemicals are transported everyday in large quantities in the supply chain through many types of transportation. Accidents in transportation of hazardous chemicals can cause various consequences like injuries, deaths, environmental damage and revenue loss. A careful evaluation of transportation options such as type, size, frequency and route of transportation is necessary during the design of supply chains to make it more efficient as well as safe. Geographical information systems is used to manage and analyze geographical data. Geographical information systems can also be used to study the impacts of hazards in transportation network. In this work, a novel framework for a safer and reliable transportation network for hazardous chemicals is developed with the help of process safety indices and geographical information systems. The results are supported with a case study based on ammonia transportation network.