GIS for risk and cost mitigation in linear infrastructure design on karst terrain: case studies of Dzerzhinsk and Ufa

<jats:p>Construction and subsequent operation of infrastructure facilities in areas susceptible to karst processes are associated with considerable risks of damaging the structures; therefore, developing methods aimed at minimizing karst risk is currently a matter of great importance. The objective of the research is to minimize possible problems and expenditures in the design of linear facilities within such areas. The authors introduce a flexible methodological framework, validatedin two karst-affected territories in the vicinities of Dzerzhinsk (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, RF) and Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan, RF). The pivotal component of the framework is adaptive selection of factors affecting karst development, with the set of circumstances specific to each territory, and their integrated treatment through an aggregated scoring system, which subsequently underpinned hazard zoning of the areas in terms of karst susceptibility. Based on the results, spatial analysis techniques were employed to delineate an optimal alignment for a linear structure that circumvents specified obstacles, including buildings, watercourses, and sinkholes. The proposed methodology provides a pre-design zoning instrument that facilitates recognition of sites where construction entails elevated risks of ground collapse and deformation, defining the routs avoiding such hazardous zones</jats:p>