Preliminary Study on Environmental Risk Information Management System for Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation in China

Abstract

This paper describes an environmental risk information management system for hazardous materials rail transport in China, aimed at providing decision support for the safe and liable logistic transportation as well as reducing the serious consequence resulted from sudden environmental pollution accidents while hazardous materials rail transport. The research starts with comparing the domestic and foreign research actuality, and moreover to integrate the basic information of hazardous materials for the rail transport with the current methods of environmental risk management in the aspect of system functional design. Based on the collectivity and function framework, the system with comparatively all-round function is developed by combining the techniques of MIS and GIS. After the design, selected features of function modules are demonstrated separately. Besides, a preliminary study regarding incidence and impact extent of an environmental accident in hazardous materials rail transport is conducted by means of the simulating function. Hazardous materials possess qualities such as explosion, flammability, contamination etc. Because of the various kinds, during the rail transport sudden environmental pollution accidents could have resulted from natural human factor, destroying the ecological environment directly and threatening the public security. Thus, for minimizing human casualties, property losses and negative effects around the site, ultimately dealing with the environmental accidents in hazardous materials rail transport, and ensuring environmental safety it is critical to build a united environmental risk information and management system based on the modern information technology. Due to the high frequency of sudden environmental pollution accidents since the 1960s, The Awareness and Preparedness for Emergency at Local Level (APELL) was brought forward by the United National Environmental Program (UNEP) in 1988. It is aimed to improve comprehension and understanding about the emergency for the public, and also help with preparation for constitution of the plan. In America, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the country’s