Site selection methodology for emergency centers in Silk Road based on compatibility with Asian Highway network using the AHP and ArcGIS (case study: I. R. Iran)

Road transportation is a necessary part of the economic, cultural, martial, social, and tourism development of nations throughout history. For several centuries, Silk Road (SR) could provide a secure way of connecting Asian and European nations. Despite historical successes, the old SR has been inactive for several centuries. China has recently decided to revive the old road through the New SR Initiative. In this paper, the existing Asian highway (AH) network which passes through Iran and reaches Turkey is considered to revive SR. Most of the suggested routes of SR passing through Iran also pass through the AH network. One of the critical considerations for such a project is the issue of accident-wise road safety. According to the descriptive and spatial data analyses, and by leveraging ArcGIS, tentative routes in Iran were analyzed. The mentioned routes contain parts of the SR and parts of the existing AH network. Therefore, the goal of the analyses was to propose the best locations for the construction of the medical emergency centers, which can elevate the road's safety measures. To identify higher risk locations, four different criteria that affect safety were considered. These criteria include the distance from the city centers, the number of the available emergency stations, the number of rest, service, and lodging stations, and finally, the road accident frequency. To identify each factor's significance, a questionnaire was developed and filled by the road and transportation experts. This analysis was performed using the analytic hierarchical process in the ArcGIS platform. The risk assessment showed that the road between Garmsar and Tehran has the highest car accident risk among all other routes. Results can be used for further remedial actions to elevate safety along this route.