This research aims to develop a methodology to rank potential zones for any HAZMAT facility in an area of interest by incorporating transportation route planning, risk analysis (for population and the environment), accessibility and transportation preferences. Siting of HAZMAT facilities is a multidisciplinary decision process encompassing the preferences and interests of different stakeholders such as the government, public health organizations, transportation authorities, and the general public. Examples of such facilities include nuclear power plants, medical and research facilities working with nuclear materials, nuclear and chemical waste management plants, uranium processing and fuel fabrication facilities, and chemical manufacturing industries. The proposed analyses method applies a cost minimization algorithm (e.g. shortest path algorithm) to find the optimal zones for a HAZMAT facility. The outputs are presented as heat maps indicating the suitability of each zone as a potential HAZMAT facility site.
