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Road Network Assessment inTrans-Amadi, Port Harcourt in Nigeria Using GIS

Article in International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering (IJTTE) · December 2011

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UDC: 625.7/.8(669) ; 007:528.9]:004(669) Obafemi A. A. et al. Road Network Assessment in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt in Nigeria Using Gis

ROAD NETWORK ASSESSMENT IN TRANS-AMADI, PORT

HARCOURT IN NIGERIA USING GIS
Andrew Adesola Obafemi1, Olatunde Sunday Eludoyin2, Dozie Richard Opara3
University of Port Harcourt, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, P. O. Box
1,2,3

91, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Received 12 July 2011; accepted 14 October 2011

Abstract: This study assessed the road network system of Trans-Amadi industrial layout using a
Geographic Information System (GIS). Topographical map of scale 1:100000 and Google Earth,
2010 version were the sources for the acquisition of the data. A reconnaissance survey of the area
was also done to assess the present situation and state of the road network. Both the topographical
map and the imagery were geo-rectified in ArcGIS 9.2 and geographic data on roads and road
junction were captured. Road junctions were digitized as points which are otherwise referred to as
nodes while the roads as lines which are also called Arcs. Simple descriptive analysis was used to
describe the road condition, pavements and types of the road network in the study. The connectivity
level in the road network was determined with the use of Beta Index (BI). The road density was
determined with respect to the road length per unit area. The road density was high (8.07 km-1)
while the connectivity level of road network was also high (0.77). In terms of road condition, the
analysis revealed that road length of 26.66 km (97.19 %) was tarred and in good condition out of
27.43 km of total road length in the study. In terms of road types, the analysis showed that the total
length of dualized road type was 6.14 km (22.38 %) while 21.29 km (77.62 %) were not dualized.

Keywords: road network, connectivity, GIS, Trans-Amadi, road density.

1. Introduction updated, relevant, easily accessible and

affordable (Fiatornu, 2006). Transportation
Many development projects seriously depend is a requirement for every nation, regardless
on transport network because transportation of its industrial capacity, population size
is the factor determining the speed of growth or technological development. Moving of
and development of a place which can occur goods and people from one place to another
through roads, rails, airways, waterways is critical to maintaining strong economic
pipelines, etc. (Vinod et al., 2003). Whatever and political ties between regions in the same
the purpose of journey, mode of transport, state; roads came into being to facilitate the
available route to take, type of vehicle are movement of wheeled vehicles which in turn,
some of the factors to be considered. Accurate fostered the development of regions. However,
information on the transport infrastructure the National Transport Policy for Nigeria
is the fundamental requirement for many (2003) states that the road is the primary
decision making processes; therefore right of way to accommodate and ensure the
information is required to be reliable, safety of all modes - bus transit, automobile,

1
Corresponding author: aandyfemi@yahoo.com

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International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering, 2011, 1(4): 257 – 264

walking and cycling hence, priority must be for proper utility design and maintenance
given to the maintenance and improvement is to be satisfactorily achieved, the more
of roadways, sidewalks and arterial roads. The sophisticated computer-based Automated
survey also shows that the state of Nigerian Mapping/Facility Management (AM\FM) or
roads remains poor for a number of reasons a Geographic Information System (GIS) must
such as faulty designs, lack of drainage and be embraced. According to Miller and Shaw
very thin coatings that were easily washed (2001), Geographic Information System for
away, excessive use of the road network given transportation (GIS-T) can play a central role
the under-developed nature of waterways and in the new environment for public land-use and
railways among others. The most important transportation decision-making by allowing
role of both government and individual citizen a wide-range of information to be integrated
is to find a solution for managing existing based on the location and fostering (but
roads even before new ones are constructed certainly not securing) a holistic perspective on
but managing modern roadways is a complex complex land-use and transportation problems.
business especially at this time when economic Miller and Shaw (2001) explain further that
growth has come close to a halt in Nigeria. GIS-T allows analytical and computational
tools to be used in conjunction with detailed
Thus, the creation, updating, maintenance and representations of the local geography,
general management of road information and allowing analysis and problem-solving to be
network in terms of spatial and non-spatial tailored to the local context. GIS-T can also
data are needed but the voluminous nature greatly reduce the gulf between analysis and
of data involved for proper record keeping is communication, allowing greater public input
indeed cumbersome, and cannot effectively into analytical decisions such as the choice
be handled by a traditional system of record of data, modeling assumptions and scenario
keeping. The analogue system means remain development. This study therefore assessed the
inflexible resulting in data storage in fixed road types, conditions; and also measures the
forms and formats; however, the system road density and road connectivity level in the
becomes less useful for many purposes study area with optimal use of GIS. The reason
and is rarely updated because of the costs being that proper network mapping of a region
implication. The maps are easily displaced can efficiently reduce traffic congestion and/
or destroyed because many different people or bottlenecks, create easy access to places
at different locations use them. that are far and near, reduce transportation
time and increase accessibility of industries to
An alternative approach to maintaining a their targeted customers. In addition, proper
coherent database for roads in a scientific and analysis and mapping of road network cannot
efficient manner is therefore required and be underestimated because this serves as a key
consequently, geographic information systems to economic development in terms of per-capita
(GIS) will be advantageous. Hence, there will income and expenditure of the community.
be improvements in planning, implementation
and operation of the road sector through 2. The Study Area
provision of timely, reliable, sufficiently and
accurately detailed data which will facilitate The study was carried out in Trans-Amadi
the decision making activities. Uluocha (1998) industrial layout, Port Harcourt City, Nigeria
notes that if the noble objective of mapping (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) It is located 5 km from

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 Obafemi A. A. et al. Road Network Assessment in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt in Nigeria Using Gis

the heart of Port-Harcourt with latitudinal obtained from Rivers State Ministry of Lands
extent between 4⁰ 47’ N and 4o 48’ N and and Housing whereby roads of the study
longitudinal extent between 7o 1’E and 7o 2’E. area were digitized. The satellite imagery of
It is the main industrial area of Port-Harcourt the study area was also obtained from 2010
densely populated with buildings of many Google Earth in order to update the existing
national and trans-national firms with very few road networks. The topographical map and
residential areas. The study area enjoys tropical the imagery were geo-rectified in ArcGIS
hot monsoon climate due to its latitudinal 9.2 to geographic co-ordinates whereby the
position. The tropical monsoon climate is ground control points were used. In ArcGIS
characterized by heavy rainfall from April to 9.2, the boundary and roads were digitized
October ranging from 2000 mm to 2500 mm in polygon and polyline respectively. The
with high temperature throughout the year and road junctions were also digitized as points.
a relatively constant high humidity. The study The area of the boundary was calculated in
area is influenced by urbanization or urban square kilometers and the length of each
sprawl whereby smaller communities have road was determined in kilometers. All
merged together and form a megacity. This is designed attributes of roads were given and
due to high influx of people resulting in a rapid these attributes include road condition, the
growth of the population in the study area. This length of the road and road type (dual or
in turn is largely due to the expansion of the oil single carriage). GIS spatial analyses were
and allied industries which have also attracted carried out using spatial query whereby the
many varied manufacturing industries. The fields like road condition and road types were
relief is generally lowland which has an average investigated and converted to a thematic
elevation of between 20 m and 30 m above map. The total length in kilometers and the
sea level. The geology of the area is basically area in square kilometers were calculated in
comprised of alluvial sedimentary basin and ArcGIS 9.2 for the purposes of the further
basement complex. The vegetation found in this analysis carried out in this study. The road
area includes raffia palms, thick mangrove forest density was determined and this is defined
and light rain forest. The soil is usually sandy or as the road length per unit area. The formula
sandy loam underlain by a layer of impervious used to calculate this is (Eq. (1)):
pan and is always leached due to the heavy
rainfall experienced in this area. The study Road density = Total Road Length (RL)/Area. (1)
area is well drenched with both fresh and salt
water. The salt water is caused by the intrusion The road density explains how dense the road
of sea water inland, thereby making the water network is in the study area. The road density
slightly salty. Due to continuous heavy rainfall is compared with the standard road density
and river flow, the study area experiences severe specified in Odaga and Heneveld (1995)
flooding almost every year and the effects are which states that road density is high when
extended to biological resources hence the city it is more than 120 m per square kilometers,
was chosen as the study area. medium when it is more than 30 m and less
than 120 m and low when it is less than 30 m
3. Methodology per square km. The total length of the roads
was converted to kilometers (km) from meters
This study made use of secondary data derived (m). In addition, the connectivity in the road
from a topographical map of scale 1:100000 network of the study area was tested using

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International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering, 2011, 1(4): 257 – 264

Beta index of connectivity developed by Table 1

Kansky (1963) and adopted by Vinod et al. Condition of Roads
(2003). Beta index (BI) for connectivity is a Condition Total Length (Km) Percentage (%)
simple measure of connectivity which can be Good 26.66 97.19
derived from the formula (Eq. (2)): Bad 0.77 2.81
Total 27.43 100
BI=Arc/Nodes (2)
Type Total Length (Km) Percentage (%)

where the nodes are the number of road Dualized 6.14 22.38
junctions and arcs are connections (straight Not-Dualized 21.29 77.62
lines) between the nodes as straight lines. Total 27.43 100
Beta Index ranges from 0.0 for network which Source: Author’s Analysis, 2010
consists of nodes without any arc through
1.0 and greater where networks are well
connected (Vinod et al., 2003). The beta index 4.2. Determination of the Road Density
analysis helped to decide the connectivity of the Study Area
level of the roads. The results are presented
in tables, charts and maps. The road density of the study area is calculated
by relating the total density to the total area.
4. Results and Discussion This is represented mathematically as Eq.
(2), that is:
4.1. Description of the Current State of
the Roads in the Study Area, Types and 27.43 km/ 3.40 sq km= 8.07 km-1
Condition of Road Networks
This analysis showed that the road density
From the GIS analysis, Table 1 explains was high comparing it with the standard
the total length of the road that is tarred as highlighted in (Odaga and Heneveld,
and untarred in the study area. The table 2009). This can be seen in the road
reveals the condition of the road whether network of the study area whereby the
good or bad at the time the observation roads were evenly distributed.
was made on these roads. The table reveals
that the road length of 26.66 km was tarred 4.3. The Road Connectivity Level
out of 27.43 km total road length which
represents 97.19 % of total road length. The connectivity level of the road network
This analysis showed the road condition in Trans-Amadi was determined by a
to be good because of the greater parts of connectivity index through a Beta Index.
the roads that were tarred. It is also shows Beta index is a measure to determine the
the types of road in the study area whereby level of connectivity in road networks (Eq.
the proportion of dualized road type was (3)).
compared with undualized road type. The
analysis revealed that the total length of In the case of this study, Arcs = 34, Nodes=44
dualized road type was 6.14 km (22.38 %) (See Fig. 3).
while 21.29 km (77.62 %) of total length
of 27.43 km were not dualized. Therefore, the beta index= 0.77

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 Obafemi A. A. et al. Road Network Assessment in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt in Nigeria Using Gis

Fig. 1.
The Imagery of the Study Area Showing the Boundary
Source: Google Earth, 2010

Fig. 2.
The Map Showing the Road Network of the Study Area
Source: Ministry of Lands and Survey and Google Earth Imagery, 2010 Version

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International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering, 2011, 1(4): 257 – 264

The result from the beta index shows that suggesting that free and easy movement
the connectivity of the road network is high of goods and services was well supported.
in the study area. This could be correlated Wahle et al. (2001) explain that modern
with the road density which was also high in western societies are characterized by high
the study area. The high connectivity can be mobility meeting the growing demands
attributed to the construction of bridges due of industries around the area because the
to the industrial development that the area connections between the industries and
has been subjected to over time. The study of the customers demanding their goods are
Vinod et al. (2003) reveals low connectivity maintained. Beckmann (2004) asserts
with beta index analysis in Kasaragod Taluk that the road network in many western
road network. This was attributed to the countries is very dense and it is continuously
hindrance caused by the streams which made developing in order to meet the growing
the roads to run parallel to the drainage. demands of the industries while Holl (2004)
The findings also showed that the road cited in Beckmann (2004) is of the opinion
network in Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout that a good infrastructure is needed for the
was an organized network which was evenly connection of markets. In addition, the
distributed in the area. The road condition rate of the development in the study area
was generally good and this can be directly is discovered to be growing and this may
attributed to the nature of pavement of be attributed to the high road density in the
the roads whereby over 90 % of the total area. It is corroborated (Amiegbebor, 2007)
road length was tarred. This allowed high that road transport network contributes
mobility of goods and services in the area to the economy of an area as it connects

Fig. 3.
The Map Showing the Nodes at Road Junctions

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 Obafemi A. A. et al. Road Network Assessment in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt in Nigeria Using Gis

points of origin to destinations. Though 4. The international body with its vast
the study of Amiegbebor (2007) reveals strength and power should encourage the
that the entire Port Harcourt Metropolis developing countries to establish a GIS
is poorly connected and not compact it in different areas of human endeavour
reaches the conclusion that development through adequate funding.
in terms of road network is being witnessed
in Trans Amadi. This could be due to the 5. This study can be carried out on a
positive influence of “Greater Port Harcourt larger scale and other attributes like the
City (GPHC)” plan put in place recently drainage system, vehicular movement,
to build a well planned city through the impedance analysis, least route cost
implementation and enforcement of policies should be studied among other things.
that will ensure the provision of first rate
infrastructure and deliver y of quality References
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5. Conclusion and Recommendations
Beckmann, A. 2004. Road Conflicts in National Parks
The efficiency of a GIS is clearly evident in placed in Densely populated and highly cultivated Areas,
this study in terms of road network analysis. and Ways to reconcile Them. Unpublished Masters
The technique was used to assess the road Dissertation: Department of Environment, Technology
network system in Trans-Amadi Industrial and Social Studies (TEKSAM), Rosklide University,
Layout in terms of the present condition Rosklide. 110 p.
of the road, pavement, road type and its
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that road network of the study area is in good Port Harcourt City Master Plan and Opportunities in
condition and the connectivity level is still Building a World Class City over the next 20 years.
high. Thus the following recommendations Available from internet: <http://gphcity.com/media/
are made: publications/>.

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embrace keeping and managing of spatial Infrastructure Planning in Ghana, A Case Study to the
data with the use of a GIS. Department of Feeder Roads, in Proceedings of the 5th FIG
Regional Conference, 1-14.
2. There should be regular maintenance
of these roads in the study area and the Holl, A. 2004. Manufacturing Location and Impacts of Road
small area that is bad should be repaired Transport Infrastructure: Empirical Evidence from Spain,
to reach the standard of a 100 % good Regional Science and Urban Economics 34(3): 341-363.
road network.
Kansky, K. 1963. Structure of Transportation Network:
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on a GIS. Chicago. 155 p.

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 International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering, 2011, 1(4): 257 – 264

Miller, H. J.; Shaw, S. L. 2001. Geographic Information Systems PROCENA PUTNE MREŽE PRIMENOM
for Transportation: Principles and Applications. New York: GIS-A U TRANS-AMADIJU, PORT
Oxford University Press. 470 p.
HARKURTU U NIGERIJI
National Transport Policy for Nigeria. 2003. Draft Document, Andrew Adesola Obafemi, Olatunde
Transport Sector Reform Committee Bureau of Public Enterprises. Sunday Eludoyin, Dozie Richard Opara
Abuja: FG of Nigeria. 54 p.
Sažetak: U ovoj studiji izvršena je procena
Odaga, A.; Heneveld, W. 1995. Girls and Schools in Sub sistema putne mreže u industrijskoj oblasti Trans-
Saharan Africa: From Analysis to Action. Washington Amadi primenom geografskog informacionog
D.C.: World Bank. 4p. sistema (GIS). Za prikupljanje podataka korišćena
je topografska karta razmere 1:100000 i Google
Uluocha, N. O. 1998. Mapping for Utility Management in Earth, 2010. Takođe je sprovedeno istraživanje
Nigeria in Cartography and Challenges of the 21st Century ove oblasti kako bi se izvršila procena trenutne
in Nigeria, 183-192. situacije i stanja putne mreže. Topografska karta
i snimci su geo-rektifikovani u ArcGIS 9.2, dok
Vinod, R. V.; Sukumar, B.; Sukumar, A. 2003. Transport su geografski podaci o putevima i raskrsnicama
Network Analysis of Kasaragod Taluk, Kerala Using GIS, zabeleženi. Raskrsnice su digitalizovane kao
Indian Cartographer 23: 1-9. tačke odnosno čvorovi, a saobraćajnice kao
linije odnosno lukovi. U ovoj studiji je u opisu
Wahle, J.; Annen O.; Schuster C.; Neubert L.; stanja puteva, kolovoza i tipova putne mreže
Schreckenberg, M. 2001. A Dynamic Route Guidance primenjena jednostavna deskriptivna analiza.
System based on Real Traffic Data, European Journal of Stepen povezanosti unutar mreže puteva utvrđen
Operational Research 131(2): 302-308. je uz pomoć Beta indeksa (BI). Gustina puteva
utvrđena je u odnosu na dužinu puteva po
jedinici površine. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju da
je gustina puteva velika (8.07 km-1), kao i stepen
povezanosti mreže puteva (0.77). Kada je reč o
stanju kolovoza, analiza je pokazala da je 26.66 km
(97.19 %) kolovoza asfaltirano i u dobrom stanju
u odnosu na 27.43 km ukupne dužine puteva u
ovoj studiji. Kada je reč o tipovima kolovoza,
analiza je pokazala da je ukupna dužina puteva
sa dve trake 6.14 km (22.38 %) dok 21.29 km
(77.62 %) iznose putevi bez dve trake.

Ključne reči: putna mreža, povezanost, GIS,

Trans-Amadi, gustina puteva.

264

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