A Rough Set and GIS Based Approach for Selecting Suitable Shelters during an Evacuation Process

Sara S. Elheishy, Ahmed A. Saleh, Aziza Asem

Department of Information Systems, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.

DOI: 10.4236/jgis.2013.51001                

Abstract

Humanity suffers an ever-present threat of crises. In the event of a crisis, the population in affected areas will be in danger and will need to be evacuated to a safer in order to protect their lives. One of the difficulties in emergency management is quickly and accurately selecting suitably safe areas of refuge. This paper aims to explain an evacuation shelter selection process that uses rough set theory and a geographical information system (GIS). The proposed approach uses rough set theory concepts to classify shelters and selects suitable shelters on the basis of three factors: distance, capacity, and the availability of life requirements. The preparation of data and reporting of results are performed via the GIS environment. The proposed approach was implemented using Masoura,Egypt, as a case study and the re- sults of this implementation are presented.

Keywords

Rough Set Theory; GIS; Shelter Selection; Evacuation Planning

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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