Image source: http://tti.tamu.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/v44n4_rail.

jpg


Hunter Geosystems Presents:



















Niagara Transportation
Corridor Hazard and
Vulnerability Analysis
Prepared for Sean Bertleff: Associate Director of Niagara
Region Emergency Planning

Proposal Report

i


i

Executive Summary

Hunter Geosystems in association with Niagara College, has been provided the opportunity to take part
in a nine-month project which will examine community vulnerability to the transportation of dangerous
goods through the Niagara Region. The client, Sean Bertleff of the Niagara Region Emergency Planning
office, has outlined the expectations and requirements which will serve as the framework for carrying
out the project.
There has not been a significant assessment of community vulnerability to the transportation of
dangerous goods (TDG) over road, rail and marine transport through the Niagara Region. Many
communities (both residential and commercial) are located within close proximity to these
transportation routes. This presents an increased risk of community exposure to volatile substances in
the event of an accident involving TDG. The study area for this project will encompass the entire Niagara
Region. The purpose of this study is to use geospatial technologies to determine the locations of high
risk areas in the Niagara Region to evaluate community vulnerability to TDG. A hazard and vulnerability
analysis will allow for the development of mitigation strategies to increase the preparedness of local
emergency services, thus minimizing the potential impacts of an accident involving TDG.
Konrad Hunter of Hunter Geosystems will serve as project manager and Mike Wallace of Niagara College
will be the academic advisor overseeing the completion of this proposed project. The objectives of this
project will be to identify the most common hazardous materials transported through the Niagara
Region, investigate and identify the normal modes of transportation used for TDG and determine where
various communities in the Niagara Region are at risk/vulnerable to TDG incidents. This analysis will
yield deliverables which have been broken down into three milestones. The first milestone will be the
project proposal presentation and report. The second milestone will be a progress report and
presentation of findings to date, and the third milestone will be the final analysis report and
presentation including all deliverables required (final maps and analysis). The proposed methodologies
include a detailed literature review of similar projects, data acquisition and analysis, the creation of
geodatabase for each HAZMAT transportation method, the creation of final maps and the development
of the final report.
The work required for completing this project has been estimated at 295 hours. Resources required for
this project will be ESRI ArcGIS 10.1, Microsoft Office 2010, Dell Precision T1650 desktop and a vehicle to
attend monthly meetings with the client. With all resources considered, the final project budget was
calculated. The final budget has been estimated at $35, 391 (including HST). The schedule for the project
will run for duration of 159 days, beginning on September 26th, 2013 and ending no later than June
13th, 2014.
The project team at Hunter Geosystems is looking forward to working in cooperation with the Niagara
Region to develop an analysis of community vulnerability to the transportation of hazardous materials.
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
ii

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ i
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... iii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ iii
List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ iii
1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Project Understanding and Overview ..................................................................................................... 2
1.1.1. Project Issue .................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1.2. Client Overview ............................................................................................................................... 2
1.1.3. Project Study Area .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.1.4. Project Purpose ............................................................................................................................... 5
1.1.5. Project Benefits ............................................................................................................................... 5
2.0 Hunter Geosystems ........................................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Study Team ................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Experience with Other Projects .......................................................................................................... 6
3.0 Project Goal and Supporting Objectives ................................................................................................. 6
3.1. Primary Project Objectives ................................................................................................................. 7
3.2 Project Deliverables ............................................................................................................................ 7
4.0 Proposed Methodology .................................................................................................................. 10
4.1 Project Initiation/Literature Review ........................................................................................... 10
4.2 Acquire and Analyze data ........................................................................................................... 12
4.3 Build Geodatabases for Hazardous Materials Transported by Road, Rail and Marine Freight .. 13
4.4 Prepare Final Maps of Processed data Showing Community Vulnerability in Niagara Region .. 13
4.5 Prepare Final Presentation and Report ...................................................................................... 14
5.0 Project Schedule ............................................................................................................................. 14
6.0 Project Budget................................................................................................................................. 15
6.1 Final Budget ................................................................................................................................ 17
7.0 Possible Project Challenges/Risks ................................................................................................... 17
8.0 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 18
9.0 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 18
Appendicies.A
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
iii



List of Figures
Figure 1 Niagara Region Study Area Boundary ............................................................................................. 3
Figure 2 Niagara Region Transportation Networks ...................................................................................... 4
Figure 3 Breakdowns of Project Milestones in Hours ................................................................................... 9
Figure 4 Work Breakdown Structure .......................................................................................................... 10
Figure 5 Project Cost Breakdowns by Resource ......................................................................................... 16
List of Tables
Table 1: Hunter Geosystems Study Team ..................................................................................................... 6
Table 2 Project Deliverables ......................................................................................................................... 8
Table 3 Project Initiation ............................................................................................................................. 11
Table 4 Literature Reviews .......................................................................................................................... 11
Table 5 Literature Review Breakdown ........................................................................................................ 12
Table 6 Data Acquisition and Analysis ........................................................................................................ 12
Table 7 Build Geodatabases ........................................................................................................................ 13
Table 8 Prepare Final Maps......................................................................................................................... 14
Table 9 Final Presentation and Report ....................................................................................................... 14
Table 10 Project Schedule ........................................................................................................................... 15
Table 11 Final Budget .................................................................................................................................. 17
List of Appendices

List of Appendices
Appendix A Original Request for Proposal ................................................................................................. A
Appendix B Project Overview Statement ................................................................................................... D
Appendix C Konrad Hunter Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................H
Appendix D Mike Wallace Curriculum Vitae .............................................................................................. L
Appendix E Niagara Transportation Corridor Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis Gantt Chart ................. O

Proposal Report
December 9, 2013

1

1.0 Introduction


The Niagara Region represents a major transportation corridor in Southern Ontario. Highways such as
the QEW, numerous railway lines and extensive shipping via the Welland Canal define how goods move
through the area. As industrial development in Canada increases in the wake of our booming energy
sector, the transportation of hazardous materials and dangerous goods increased as a result. This has
raised much concern over the safety and wellbeing of the general public as well as the natural
environment, considering the major impacts that occur in the event of an accident involving hazardous
materials in transport. The Niagara Region represents a unique area for transportation due to a close
proximity to the United States border, as well as providing the infrastructure to support all forms of
transportation. Therefore, this region provides an ideal location for implementing a hazard and
vulnerability analysis using Geospatial technologies.
A study by the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (2011) revealed that, in Canada,
there are upwards of 30 million hazardous good shipments per year. The problem remains that many of
these transportation routes are located in close proximity to communities. This presents a major risk of
community exposure to volatile substances following a disaster involving TDG. Recent accidents
involving the transportation of dangerous goods (TDG) have served as a reminder to significant risk
involved with such activity. Most notably the derailment in Lac Magnetic, Quebec of a 74-car train
carrying petroleum crude oil resulted in a massive explosion and devastating fire, which leveled 30
buildings and caused 47 fatalities on July 6, 2013 (Blatchford, 2013). This event, as well as others like it,
provides important insight into the significant risks involved with transporting hazardous goods through
communities, regardless of the mode of transportation.
As Niagara Region begins plans to implement a Hazard Mitigation Strategy and Plan in 2014, assessing
community vulnerability is essential. This project will seek to provide a geospatial analysis on community
hazard vulnerability to promote the development of disaster and emergency management strategies to
increase preparedness for all regions. This project will provide valuable information on community
vulnerability in the Niagara Region that will be incorporated into future hazard mitigation planning.





Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
2

1.1 Project Understanding and Overview
1.1.1. Project Issue

There has not been a significant assessment of community vulnerability to the TDG over road, rail and
marine transport throughout the Niagara Region. Many communities (both residential and Commercial)
are located within close proximity to these transportation routes, thus presenting a risk of community
exposure to volatile substances in the event of an accident. The Niagara Region provides the necessary
infrastructure to support all modes of transportation. Instances of hazardous good transportation are
wide spread in this area, therefore the likelihood that a disaster involving hazardous goods in transport
is potentially high. Investigating community vulnerability will be critical for implementing future
mitigation strategies for the Niagara Region Emergency Planning department, as well as increase the
preparedness of local emergency services.
1.1.2. Client Overview

The Niagara Region Emergency Management division manages the corporate emergency readiness
functions in preparation for any large scale threat to public health and safety and ensures compliance
with the mandatory legislated requirements of the Emergency Management Act. This includes
responsibility for the Regional Emergency Management Plan, Program Advisory Committee, Emergency
Operations Centre, Training and Exercise Strategy, Emergency Recovery Strategy and Emergency
Information Strategy. The Niagara Region works with area municipal emergency coordinators,
emergency response services, the provincial emergency management agency as well as cross border
partners to ensure joint response capabilities and promote disaster resilient communities (Niagara
Region Emergency Management, 2013).
1.1.3. Project Study Area

The Niagara transportation corridor represents a large region, covering the majority of the Niagara
Peninsula. This project will examine the extensive transportation networks which define the flow of
goods to, from and throughout the area. Specifically, this project will examine the road, rail and shipping
networks and the associated hazardous good transport that each mode of transportation predominately
carries. Figure 1 displays the study area boundary for this project. The major transportation networks
that will be analyzed for this project are displayed in Figure 2.



Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
3



Figure 1 Niagara Region Study Area Boundary
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
4


Figure 2 Niagara Region Transportation Networks
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
5






1.1.4. Project Purpose

Upon examining relevant literature, it becomes apparent that the transportation of hazardous materials
represents a significant risk to the public in the event of an accident. Identifying and understanding the
risk of a given area is difficult due to the unpredictable nature of vehicle accidents (for road, rail and
marine transportation). However, understanding the type of materials in transport, the regional location
of communities as well as the designated routes for which hazardous goods are transported, remains
crucial for identifying the specific areas to be considered vulnerable to exposure. The purpose of this
project is to gain a better understanding of community vulnerability within the Niagara Region given the
event of an accident involving hazardous materials in transport. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
offer an excellent avenue for implementing such a study due to the visual benefits of mapping to display
areas of concern. The final deliverables of this project will assist the Niagara Region Emergency
Management Services in developing mitigation strategies for accidents involving hazardous materials in
transport, as well as help increase the preparedness of the local emergency services in the future.
1.1.5. Project Benefits

The successful completion of this project will yield numerous benefits for the Niagara Region Emergency
Management services, as mentioned above in section 1.1.4 Project Purpose. The final deliverables will
identify the residential and/or commercial communities for which represent areas of high risk to
exposure of hazardous materials in the event of an accident. Understanding the types of hazardous
materials transported through the Niagara corridor by rail, marine and road transport will allow
emergency management services to prepare for worse-case-scenario given the hazardous materials
are exposed as a result of an accident while in transport. This information will be of significant benefit to
local emergency services as it will increase preparedness in the event of an accident involving TDG.
Upon completion, information derived from the final deliverables will be applied directly to the Niagara
Regions Hazard Mitigation Strategy and Plan set for a 2014 launch.
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
6

2.0 Hunter Geosystems
2.1 Study Team

Table 1: Hunter Geosystems Study Team
Team Members Title
Robert Konrad Hunter Project Manager, B.A.
Mike Wallace Advisor, CET, OLS, OLIP
*Refer to Appendix for team members CVs.

2.2 Experience with Other Projects

Robert Konrad Hunter graduated from the University of Guelph in 2013 achieving his Bachelor of Arts
degree in Geography. During his studies at university, Mr. Hunter was introduced to GIS as a mandatory
requirement for the Geography program. Combining a practical approach with the knowledge of
geography fostered Mr. Hunters desire to pursue the field of GIS. The GIS courses offered at the
University of Guelph allowed him to gain knowledge and experience using GIS software such as ESRIs
ArcMap 10.1 and ArcCatalog 10.1 as well as the basic elements of cartography and data analysis. Various
assignments required for the GIS courses allowed Mr. Hunter to become familiar with map projections,
importing, exporting and consolidating data, digitizing, applying proximity buffers and other analysis
tools. Currently studying in the Niagara College GIS-GM post graduate course, Mr. Hunter has expanded
his knowledge and skill level in the field of GIS following the successful completion of various
assignments using geospatial technologies, most notably ArcGIS 10.1.
Mike Wallace has over 30 years of experience managing GIS, IT and Access Network projects with Bell
Canada and as an independent consultant through Planview Utility Services. Mike has been an instructor
in the GIS-GM program at Niagara College from September 1998 through 2000 and currently from
September 2010. He is a Certified Civil Engineering Technologist with OACETT and a licensed OLS OLIP
with the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors.
3.0 Project Goal and Supporting Objectives

The goal of this project is to develop a vulnerability and risk assessment of communities (both
residential and commercial) located within the proximity of transportation networks known to transport
hazardous materials. These communities are at risk of exposure to hazardous materials given an
accident occurs during HAZMAT transportation in the Niagara Region. This project will provide valuable
information on community vulnerability that will be incorporated into the hazard mitigation planning
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
7

process developed by Niagara Regions Emergency Management department. The information produced
in the findings of this project will help increase the preparedness of local emergency services, thus
working to effectively minimize the potential impacts of an accident involving hazardous materials in
transport within the Niagara Region.

3.1. Primary Project Objectives

The first objective associated with this project will be to investigate and identify the most commonly
transported hazardous materials in Ontario. This information will assist the GIS analyst in narrowing
down the scope of materials to the most predominant hazardous goods transported through the
Niagara Region, therefore identifying which hazardous materials are most likely to be present in the
event of an accident involving such goods.
The second objective of this project is to investigate and identify the normal modes of transportation
associated with the most commonly transported hazardous materials. This will require investigating the
TDG by road, rail and marine transportation. It will be important to research and confirm the
risk/impacts associated with the specific type of hazardous material because this will be used to
generate accurate buffer zones around projected crash sites created using ArcMap 10.1 software.
The third and final objective associated with this project will be to utilize the information derived from
the first two objectives to develop maps which will display and identify where various communities in
the Niagara Region are at risk/vulnerable to TDG incidents. This will require separate maps to be created
for each mode of transportation (road, rail and marine freight). Impact zone buffers created as the
second primary objective of this project will identify communities that fall within the buffer zone, thus
classifying them as vulnerable communities. This is a critical component of the project, as the resulting
information will be applied directly to the development of future hazard mitigation strategies for the
Niagara Region.

3.2 Project Deliverables

The deliverables for this project are outlined in Table 2. They have been divided into three phases which
consist of various tasks to achieve the successful completion of each milestone. Figure 3 displays a chart
that effectively breaks down the major milestones by the hours required to complete each milestone,
with the added task of Project Management which refers to meetings with both the client as well as the
academic advisor. The total hours required for completing the Niagara transportation corridor hazard
and vulnerability analysis is estimated to be 295.5 hours.
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
8


Table 2 Project Deliverables
Phase 1: Project Proposal

Deliverable 1.1: Project Overview Statement
Deliverable 1.2: Project Proposal Presentation
Deliverable 1.3: Proposal Report
Phase 2: Progress Report

Deliverable 2.1: Progress Report
Deliverable 2.2: Progress Report Presentation
Deliverable 2.3: Bi-Weekly Status updates
Deliverable 2.4: Maps of Processed Data
Phase 3: Final Report

Deliverable 3.1: Prepare maps of hazardous material transportation by road
Deliverable 3.2: Prepare maps of hazardous material transportation by rail
Deliverable 3.3: Prepare maps of hazardous material transportation by marine freight
Deliverable 3.4: Prepare maps of vulnerable communities within Niagara Region
Deliverable 3.5: Final report and presentation



Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
9




Figure 3 Breakdowns of Project Milestones in Hours

Figure 4 displays the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which divides the project phases according to
major tasks and subtasks. The successful analysis of community vulnerability in the Niagara Region to
the transportation of dangerous goods will be reliant on the completion of each structured task. At this
phase of the project, Hunter Geosystems has initiated task 1.1 Project Management and 1.2 Project
Understanding. The most critical aspects of this project will be tasks 1.3 1.5 which will provide the
creation of final maps and final analysis, which will conclude with a final report and presentation of the
findings to the client.

43.5 hrs
47 hrs
21 hrs
45 hrs
141 hrs
Project Management
Understanding the Project
Analyze GIS Data
Assemble Geodatabases
Prepare Maps/Final Analysis
Total Hours = 297.5
Work Breakdown (Hours Required)
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
10


Figure 4 Work Breakdown Structure
4.0 Proposed Methodology

The following subsections will outline the proposed strategies to effectively meet the requirements of
this project. All geospatial analysis, data organization and map creation for this project will be derived
using ESRIs ArcGIS 10.1 software provided by Niagara College. Reports and presentations will be
developed using Microsoft Office 2010 software.
4.1 Project Initiation/Literature Review

The project was initiated with first meeting with the client, Sean Bertleff of the Niagara Region. This
marked the beginning phase of the Niagara transportation corridor hazard and vulnerability analysis.
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
11

Monthly client meetings have been scheduled to take place on the first Thursday of every month. Bi-
weekly meetings with Mr. Wallace, academic advisor for this project have been also been scheduled to
carry on for the duration of the project. The project initiation phase includes establishing the project
with the client and finishes with the project proposal presentation and proposal report submission
(Milestone 1). Table 3 displays a summary of the start and finish dates for this phase of the project as
well as an estimate of the time and budget allocated to complete this task.
Table 3 Project Initiation
Project Initiation
Proposed Start Date: Thurs 9/26/13
Proposed End Date: Tues 12/9/13
Estimated Work (hours): 37
Estimated Cost: $3,145
Deliverables: Project Overview Statement, Proposal
Presentation, Proposal Report

Literature reviews will be critical to gain an understanding of how similar projects have applied GIS
technologies to conduct an analysis on the impacts of transporting hazardous materials through
communities. Table 4 displays the relevant studies that have been reviewed by Hunter Geosystems.
Table 5 displays a summary of the start and finish dates for this phase of the project as well as an
estimate of the time and budget allocated to complete the literature reviews.
Table 4 Literature Reviews
Year Author Title Scope Region
2000 Jianjun Zhang, John
Hodgson, and
Erhan Erkut
Using GIS to assess the risks of
hazardous materials transport
in networks
Assess the routing of
hazardous materials to
understand possible threats
to communities and
environment.
Alberta, Canada
2001 Vedat Verter and
Bahar Y. Kara
A GIS-based Framework for
Hazardous Materials
Transport Risk Assessment
Assessing the hazardous
materials transport risk in a
multicommodity, multiple
origin destination setting.
Ontario and
Quebec, Canada
2007 Shawn M. Strange Alternative Hazardous
Material Routes for Victoria
County that Minimize Risk to
Population
Examining current highway
routes used for the
transportation of hazardous
materials to establish a risk
assessment and offer
alternative routing.
Victoria City,
Texas
2011 McMaster Institute
for Transportation
and Logistics
Movements of Dangerous
Goods Across the Credit
Valley Conservation
Watershed
Assess the movements of
dangerous goods across the
Credit Valley Watershed for
the modes of truck and rail.
Ontario, Canada

Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
12



Table 5 Literature Review Breakdown
Literature Reviews
Proposed Start Date: Mon 11/18/13
Proposed End Date: Fri 1/31/14
Estimated Work (hours): 15
Estimated Cost: $1,275

4.2 Acquire and Analyze data

Data acquisition and analysis will be critical for a successful investigation of community vulnerability to
the transportation of hazardous goods through the Niagara Region. Data regarding the hazardous
materials transported over Road, Rail and Marine networks will be examined as well as the location of
communities in close proximity to these routes. Table 6 displays a summary of the start and finish dates
for this phase of the project as well as an estimate of the time and budget allocated to complete this
task.
Access to confidential data is a significant constraint which will determine success of this project. At this
phase in the project, Hunter Geosystems has signed a confidentiality agreement with CN to gain access
to hazardous material (HAZMAT) shipment data. Future data acquisition may require similar
confidentiality agreements as well as the use of open-source data. This will be determined as the project
evolves. Vehicle accident data will also be critical for determining a probabilistic risk assessment of
accidents that occur along shipment routes. These areas will serve as the location for which a
community proximity analysis will be established to determine community vulnerability in the Niagara
Region.
Table 6 Data Acquisition and Analysis
Data Acquisition and Analysis
Proposed Start Date: Fri 12/6/13
Proposed End Date: Fri 2/21/14
Estimated Work (hours): 25
Estimated Cost: $2,275



Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
13

4.3 Build Geodatabases for Hazardous Materials Transported by Road,
Rail and Marine Freight

Assembling geodatabases according to hazardous material shipments by mode of transportation will be
important for data organization as well as data analysis. Table 7 displays a summary of the start and
finish dates for this phase of the project as well as an estimate of the time and budget allocated to
complete this task. The geodatabases will be created using ArcCatalog 10.1.
The completion of geodatabases for HAZMAT transported by road, HAZMAT transported by rail and
HAZMAT transported by marine freight will be utilized to determine the most common hazardous goods
transported through the Niagara Region. This information will be further analyzed to develop a
probabilistic risk assessment of community vulnerability. Efficient data organization will improve this
analysis as well as the creation of final maps used to display the findings of the project.
Table 7Build Geodatabases
Assemble Geodatabases
Proposed Start Date: Mon 1/6/13
Proposed End Date: Thurs 4/3/14
Estimated Work (hours): 45
Estimated Cost: $3,825


4.4 Prepare Final Maps of Processed data Showing Community
Vulnerability in Niagara Region

The preparation and creation of final maps will be one of the most critical components of this project, as
this will provide a visual overview of community vulnerability in the Niagara Region. All maps will be
created using ArcMap 10.1.
The goal of this project is to use the acquired HAZMAT data to determine the areas in the Niagara
Region most likely to experience disaster involving hazardous materials in transport. The final maps will
be created to display each of the HAMAT transportation networks (map of HAZMAT transport by road,
map of HAZMAT transport by rail and map of HAZMAT transport by marine freight). This visual analysis
will be utilized for developing regional maps which indicate the location of communities vulnerable to
exposure of HAZMAT materials in the event of a disaster while in transport.
The evaluation of community vulnerability will require the application of proximity buffers to reflect the
area of exposure resulting from an accident. The exact number of maps that will be required for a full
analysis of HAZMAT transport as well as community vulnerability is yet to be determined. Table 8
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
14

displays a summary of the start and finish dates for this phase of the project as well as an estimate of
the time and budget allocated to complete this task.

Table 8 Prepare Final Maps
Prepare Final Maps of Processed Data
Proposed Start Date: Tues 4/22/14
Proposed End Date: Fri 5/30/14
Estimated Work (hours): 91
Estimated Cost: $7,735
4.5 Prepare Final Presentation and Report

The final phase of this project will be to provide an overall analysis of the findings derived from
completing the methodologies outlined above as well as completing all necessary tasks in terms of
project management and producing the final deliverables. The information derived from the analysis of
community vulnerability in the Niagara Region, as well as analysis of HAZMAT transportation by road,
rail and marine transport will be presented to the clients via formal report and presentation by no later
than June 13, 2014. Table 9 displays a summary of the start and finish dates for the final phase of the
project as well as an estimate of the time and budget allocated to complete this task.
Table 9 Final Presentation and Report
Final Presentation and Report
Proposed Start Date: Mon 6/12/14
Proposed End Date: Tues 8/12/14
Estimated Work (hours): 30
Estimated Cost: $2,550
Deliverables: Final Report and Presentation

5.0 Project Schedule

The start date for this project was the initial meeting between Hunter Geosystems project manager
Konrad Hunter and Sean Bertleff of the Niagara Region Emergency Management department. Hunter
Geosystems was given a confirmation to proceed with this project on September 26
th
, 2013. The Niagara
transportation corridor hazard and vulnerability analysis project will run for 159 days and will require an
estimate of 295.5 hours of work to complete. This project must be completed by June 13
th
, 2014. This is
an absolute deadline. The following table (Table 10) displays a breakdown of the major tasks and the
estimated time-line for which they are to be completed. For a full list of all project tasks, time durations,
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
15

work required, start/finish dates and budget, refer to the Niagara transportation corridor hazard and
vulnerability analysis Gantt chart located in Appendix I.
Table 10 Project Schedule
Project Phases Schedule
Project Start Date 20130926
Phase 1: Project Proposal 2013-09-26 - 2013-12-09
Phase 2: Progress Report 2014-01-06 - 2014-03-01
Phase 3: Data Acquisition 2014-02-01 2014-03-01
Phase 4: Final Presentation and Report 2014-03-01 - 2014-06-13
Project End Date 2013-06-13


6.0 Project Budget

NOTE: This project budget has been prepared for learning purposes only and in no way is the client
expected to compensate for these proposed costs. The value of this project is being donated to the
client by the student consultant, Niagara College and the advisory staff.
The estimated budget for this project was calculated using Microsoft Project. Konrad Hunter of Hunter
Geosystems will be the project manager overseeing the successful completion of the Niagara
transportation corridor hazard and vulnerability analysis. The rate of pay for which Mr. Hunter will be
charging as the project manager is $85.00 per hour. The estimated hours of work required to complete
all tasks for this project has been calculated as 295.5 hours. By-weekly meetings with academic advisor
Mr. Wallace have also been calculated included in personnel costs. Mr. Wallace has a rate of $140 per
hour, and advisor meetings have a scheduled duration of 1 hour. When combined these figures equate
to a total cost of $31, 320 before applicable taxes, therefore the largest portion of the budget will be
allocated to personnel costs (refer to Figure 5).
The cost of the software required for producing final deliverables (ESRI ArcGIS 10.1 and Microsoft Office
2010) has been established. These resources will require to a total of $6000 with added hardware (Dell
Precision T1650 desktop) costs. Transportation will be required to attend monthly meetings with Mr.
Bertleff, the client for this project. This will require compensation for mileage due to the necessity of a
vehicle to attend client meetings. This has been calculated as $0.55 per kilometer, equating a total of
$85 before tax.
Figure 5 below displays a chart of the breakdown of required resources by cost (before tax).
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
16


Figure 5 Project Cost Breakdowns by Resource











$25 235
$1500
$4500
$85
Personnel
Hardware
Software
Transportation

*Total Cost: $31 320 (before tax)
Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
17

6.1 Final Budget

The final budget for this project was calculated to include applicable tax (13% HST). A contingency of +/-
10% was considered to discrepancies between the estimated project budget and the real costs incurred
to complete all deliverables. Table 11 displays the final budget for this project.
Table 11 Final Budget
Total Project Cost with HST (+13%):
$35, 391
Contingency (+/- 10%):
$3, 539

7.0 Possible Project Challenges/Risks

As with any project, completing a successful hazard and vulnerability analysis of the Niagara
transportation corridor has inherent risks and challenges associated. Multiple datasets will be required
for an affective and accurate analysis of community vulnerability to the exposure of dangerous goods
following a transportation disaster. The format and suitability of the provided data sets could present a
challenge if there are any issues of compatibility with the available software. The size of datasets could
also present a challenge regarding storage and/or transmission.

Obtaining current imagery will be critical for an accurate analysis of communities in the Niagara Region
located within the assessed proximity considered of high risk to exposure in the event of an accident
involving TDG. Carrying out this analysis will also require current HAZMAT data to be available for each
method of transportation examined for this project. Data confidentiality remains a possible challenge
for accessibility, as corporation involved with HAZMAT transportation are generally reluctant to publish
data. However, Mr. Hunter has recently signed a confidentiality agreement to be provided access to CN
rail data. Access to updated accident data or known areas of potential risk will be crucial for the project
analysis. This could otherwise produce inaccuracies in the project findings and analysis. Finally, a major
challenge will be scope, as final deliverables must be submitted to the client no later than June 13th,
2014.







Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
18

8.0 Conclusion

The transportation of hazardous materials has gained significant attention in recent times due to a
growing industrial demand. Many of the transportation routes used for TDG are located dangerously
close to communities, presenting a major risk if an accident were to occur. The Niagara Region
represents an ideal study area for this analysis due to the available infrastructure to support all modes
of transportation.
Hunter Geosystems is committed to providing professional GIS services of the highest quality. Detailed
literature reviews have been conducted to gather extensive background information regarding the
issues and impacts associated with HAZMAT transportation. The frameworks discussed in the relevant
literature will be considered as this project moves forward. This document outlines the goals and
benefits of the project, the proposed methodologies as well as the final deliverables. The project team
has evaluated the schedule, cost estimates, final budget, risks and challenges as well as the resources
required for a successful analysis of community vulnerability within the Niagara transportation corridor.
Hunter Geosystems would like to formally acknowledge Mr. Sean Bertleff and the Niagara Region
Emergency Management office as well as Niagara College for providing the opportunity to participate in
this project. We are confident that the outcome of this project will benefit both the Niagara Region
Emergency Management and local emergency services as they proceed to develop a Hazard and
Mitigation Strategy and Plan in 2014.

9.0 Bibliography

Blatchford, A. (2013). Why was Lac-Mgantic crude oil so flammable?: Authorities want closer look at
cargo from train disaster. National Post. Retrieved December 3, 2013 from

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/08/02/why-was-lac-megantic-crude-oil-so-flammable-

authorities-want-closer-look-at-cargo-from-train-disaster/

McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics. (2011). Movements of Dangerous Goods Across the
Credit Valley Conservation Watershed. Retrieved December 1, 2013 from

http://mitl.mcmaster.ca/research/documents/MITL_Credit_Valley.pdf

Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
19


Niagara Region Emergency Management. (2013). Niagara Community Information Database. Retrieved
December 3, 2013 from http://niagara.cioc.ca/record/NIA0554

Strange, S. (2007). Alternative Hazardous Material Routes for Victoria County that Minimize Risk to
Population. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved November 25, 2013 from
http://soa.utexas.edu/files/gis/HazardousMaterialsVictoriaCity.pdf


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
A




Appendix A Original Request for Proposal

















Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
B


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
C


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
D





Appendix B Project Overview Statement

E



F



G


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
H






Appendix C Konrad Hunter Curriculum Vitae











Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
I


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
J


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
K


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
L





Appendix D Mike Wallace Curriculum Vitae




















Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
M


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
N


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
O


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
P


Proposal Report
December 9, 2013
Q




Appendix E Niagara Transportation Corridor Hazard and Vulnerability
Analysis Gantt Chart


















Chart: Project Gantt Chart