Development of ITS-led Tanzania Railway system strengthening climate resilient infrastructure based on GIS

Project Summary:

To improve safety, climate resilience and operational efficiency of the railway along the Dar es Salaam to Isaka segment in Tanzania. The grant will finance the (i) study of the topography of the Tanzania central railway and analysis of flood hazards at the catchment area and (ii) integration of the GIS-based intelligent transportation system (ITS) in line with flood hazard mapping and risk assessment which will be implemented through the following three activities.

List of Activities:

• Study of the topography of the Tanzania central railway and analysis of flood hazards at the catchment area

A high-level systemic climate vulnerability assessment of multi-modal transport networks conducted for Tanzania showed that with climate change, greater lengths of the transport network will be exposed to extreme fluvial flooding. However, deeper assessment especially focusing on the railway sector has never been conducted, although the Kilosa – Gulwe – Igandu railway section (Wami/Ruvu area) is being impacted by flooding leading to railway closure for about 3 to 4 months annually. A GIS-based methodology will be applied to foster advanced up-to-date data collection process, including field surveys and remote sensing while identifying the specific data layers required for the topographical analysis, such as elevation, land cover, hydrological networks. An Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile based sensor network deployment will be implemented to collect real-time data on rainfall intensity, water levels, soil moisture, and weather conditions. Furthermore, these integrated sensor data with GIS platform will create a comprehensive and dynamic flood risk map which will enable sensing techniques and satellite imagery to monitor the extent of flooding in real-time. The activity will build up a foundation to analyze an overall topography for railway networks and its related vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change impacts.

• Integration of the GIS-based ITS in line with flood hazard mapping and risk assessment

This activity will outline an ITS-based Tanzania railway system which incorporates assessing flood risk, considering factors such as vulnerability, exposure, and potential consequences. It will further specify potential additional parameters to be used in the risk assessment, such as population density, critical infrastructure, and economic value. The system architecture and engine will be structured by both web and mobile application-based GIS database. This hybrid application is expected to enable clients to easily adapt and upgrade the system by mashing-up with the up-to-date open APIs. Moreover, the mobile application-based database system will assist in collecting real-time climate hazard data and implement quick response to the early warning system to exposed areas. The activity’s implementation will in the long run, further address additional chronical challenges such as safety, asset management and traffic control issues ultimately contributing to the achievement of the project’s PDO.

• Transfer of Tools and Knowledge to Tanzania Counterparts

The activity will support hand over workshops with all stakeholders, including local experts and national railway practitioners such as TRC and Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Agriculture, National Irrigation Commission, as well as private sector consultants and contractors, to ensure that the tools can be utilized and updated for planning purposes. The transport stakeholders are expected to be engaged with, and learn from the consultant throughout the process, facilitating their skills development and strengthen the ownership of eventual tools and findings.

Outcomes:

• Improved access to the latest information on geospatial systems and ITS-related system
• Adoption of digitized data for railway operations
• Improved climate resilience of the infrastructure on the TRC railway network
• Increased management capacity of Tanzania railway system

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

The team will liaise with Korean knowledge sharing partners. All approved project reports will be publicly disclosed.