International Journal of Geo-Information Article Analysis of the Degree of Threat to Railway Infrastructure by Falling Tree Vegetation Michal Kuˇcera 1,2 and Zdena Dobesova 1,* 1 Department of Geoinformatics, Palacký University Olomouc, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic;
[email protected] 2 Railway Administration, Jeremenkova 103/23, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech Republic * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: The article presents a method for determining and evaluating the threat to railway infras- tructure from falling trees. The main objective was to identify the degree of threat according to three parameters: the height of tree stands, species composition, and vegetation health. Identification of the threat to individual railway sections would allow the creation of measures that could increase operational safety. Evaluation should be carried out at regular intervals to assess vegetation health during certain seasons. We, therefore, recommend the use of satellite images to provide a data source and regular data updates. The potential benefit is a reduction in railway infrastructure damage and an increase in traffic flow, especially during periods of exceptional weather conditions involving high wind, ice or heavy snow. The new method presented in the paper, based on data for railway infrastructure, law and other data sources in the Czech Republic, determines a Vegetation Threat Index for Railways (VTIR). We selected the Liberec Region as an example case study because of its large spread of wooded areas around railway lines and high incidence of railway traffic accidents. Citation: Kuˇcera,M.; Dobesova, Z. Analysis of the Degree of Threat to Keywords: raster analysis; railway; tree; damage; satellite data; remote sensing; GIS; NDVI Railway Infrastructure by Falling Tree Vegetation.