Using GIS to classify urban street potholes in Khartoum city, the capital of Sudan

Abstract EN

Objectives : Specifically, this study aimed to classify and identify the spatial locations of street potholes caused by seasonal rainwater logging in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

Methods : The field data collector Survey123 of ESRI was used, which is an application for collecting data spatially based on the pre-prepared Excel form available on the application website to create, share, and analyze field data requirements.

Using an Android mobile device, the study recorded the locations of potholes in three main roads and two bystreets.

In ArcGIS 10.4, a spatial statistical analysis tool was used to analyze and produce maps of pothole occurrences, as well as to classify and identify high risk areas.

A total of 77 pothole events were recorded, based on their size that was classified into three categories : large, medium, and small.

Results : According to the scale used, there were 21 large, 36 medium and 20 small potholes on the five streets surveyed.

The most severe potholes occurred in heavy traffic streets.

A hotspot analysis showed that there was one street that was seriously affected by potholes, which is considered a high risk and requires complete rehabilitation.