An analytical assessment on optimizing alternative routes selection for minimal distance of inter-provincial transportation: Iraq case study

¹ Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.
² Lab of Seismology and Spatial Data Analysis. Baghdad, Iraq.
³ Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
⁴ Department of Computer Engineering Techniques, College of Technical Engineering, University of Al Maarif, Al Anbar, Iraq
⁵ Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah 51001, Iraq

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

One of the most important topics nowadays in Iraq is how to effectively plan and improve routes between the main cities. This issue is considered very important to enhance transportation systems, provide services along routes, and reduce logistics costs, especially in relatively remote governorates with diverse road network conditions. This study provided a comparative analysis of current road distances between several provinces, and it study the possibility of developing shorter and more effective routes between different Iraqi provinces. It is focused on evaluating the discrepancy between the shortest theoretical routes and actual travel distances under realistic conditions. A (GMap.NET) library has been utilized using the C# programming language to identify the shortest routes currently available. It also considered the advantages of geographic information systems tools and traffic simulation tools to model and evaluate new road networks. Different factors such as road quality, congestion, and infrastructure constraints were incorporated. A map of Mapbox API, was utilized in specifying the start and the endpoints to be considered by the governorates. A straight line specifying the line linking the two governorates to be studied by applying ArcMap. It studies the possibility of providing the closest real route for this straight path and displays it through simulation systems for travel scenarios between governorates. They identify the main factors contributing to road inefficiency and measure the impact of these factors on overall transportation performance. The main contribution was improving transportation network planning by analysing routes between Baghdad and the cities of the Kurdistan Region using modern techniques. The results showed that the proposed routes reduced the distance compared to the original routes, as the distance in the Baghdad-Erbil route decreased from 13% to 9%, in Baghdad-Sulaymaniyah from 43% (original route 1) and 26% (original route 2) to 16%, while in Baghdad-Kirkuk it decreased from 16% to 10%. These results reflect the efficiency of the proposed routes in reducing time and costs, which supports more effective decisions in developing transportation infrastructure.