Multi-criteria evaluation and least cost path analysis for an arctic all-weather road

Increasing interest in the development of the base metal, gold, and diamond resources in the Slave Geological Province in Nunavut has led to the proposal that a deep-water port be constructed in Bathurst Inlet and connected to these mining regions by an all-weather road. In response to previous concerns regarding the subjectivity of existing techniques for route determination, this paper outlines a methodology for determining a least-cost-path for the route of an all-weather road that incorporates multi-criteria analysis. This methodology allows for the objective comparison of alternate scenarios for weighting the factors that determine the location of a road's route. The methodology is applied, using three alternate scenarios for road construction that are compared so as to determine the effectiveness and sensitivity of this approach. The strengths and limitations of this methodology are discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.