Geospatial Assessment of the Territorial Road Network by Fractal Method

Abstract

This paper proposes an approach to the geospatial assessment of a territorial road network based on the fractals theory. This approach allows us to obtain quantitative values of spatial complexity for any transport network and, in contrast to the classical indicators of the transport provisions of a territory (Botcher, Henkel, Engel, Goltz, Uspensky, etc.), consider only the complexity level of the network itself, regardless of the area of the territory. The degree of complexity is measured by a fractal dimension. A method for calculating the fractal dimension based on a combination of box counting and GIS analysis is proposed. We created a geoprocessing script tool for the GIS software system ESRI ArcGIS 10.7, and a study of the spatial pattern of the transport network of the Ukraine territory, and other countries of the world, was made. The results of the study will help to better understand the different aspects of the development of transport networks, their changes over time and the impact on the socioeconomic indicators of urban development.