Shortest Path Navigation Application on GIS

Abstract

Navigation is one of the main applications on location based, geographical information systems (GIS), which helps drivers and pedestrians to ¯nd their way and plan the journey accordingly in any environment. One of the most critical characteristics of human way ¯nding is the shortest path selection to reach the destination. Finding an e±cient route is a di±cult task for many drivers and pedestrians. It¶s a matter of ¯nding the quickest path or the least costly path between two locations in a network. But it¶s very di±cult to ¯nd and navigate through an optimal path between two locations without any guidance, as the road network is much more complex. Even though there are some commercially available GIS navigation applications exists, they are very expensive and cannot apply them into public, without spending a large amount of money. Sometimes it cannot be applicable to a country like Sri Lanka. The aim of this dissertation is to present the Shortest Path Navigation Application on GIS, that calculates the shortest path between two locations. Finally the shortest path been highlighted on a map. Since this system is web based, it can be used as a shortest path guidance, hence to ful¯l the requirement of having a cost e®ective navigation system. It can be operated in an easy manner, with least cost and less time. Dijkstra¶s algorithm is used here, which is the most commonly used and fast in terms of computation the shortest path. The new system will increase the e±ciency and speed-up the day today work in a cost e®ective manner.