A GIS-based model for Geomorphological Impact Assessment of a railway track

The paper illustrates a method for the assessment of geomorphological impacts and risks related to the construction of an high speed railway track. The method has been applied in the study area of Castelfranco Emilia Municipality (Province of Modena, northern Italy) as part of the activities of the EC-project GETS. The method fits into general Multi-Criteria Analysis procedures and it is based on the use of GIS, to store, elaborate and manage maps making up the basic components of impact and risk matrices. Three possible tracks of the railway and geomorphological components falling into the assets, resources and processes categories, have been considered in the analysis. In the end, a number of impact and risk maps has been generated and combined in order to estimate impacts and risks for each alternative and provide decision makers with cartographic tools to evaluate the best possible alternative track from the geomorphological standpoint.