Systematically summarizing, storing and displaying of Geotechnical data by GIS software, case of Central Ethiopia

Abstract

Engineering properties of soils are all laboratory and field tests of soil property that are used as an input for designs. Engineering properties of soils are very important and necessary in any construction industries. In addition, some constructions are done with limited soil property tests. However, this is not a good practice since lacking geotechnical information may cause structural failures and collapses. So, it is highly recommended to do some tests on engineering properties of soils for our anticipated projects. In addition to this, these geotechnical data have to be managed carefully and made easily available to avoid costs repeating these tests several times for a particular area. So for better and safe design of foundations, it is good to access geotechnical data easily. Therefore, in this particular research, the author has tried to organize, store and display some important methods of geotechnical data by using GIS (Geographic Information System) software in central parts of Ethiopia particularly in selected cities found within 120 km diameters from the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. GIS software is a relevant tool, which is used for this kind of data management. Since the application shows both raster and vector data, the designer can see exact place or point of test pits to choose which test pit’s output is relevant for the nearest project site. Hence, in this research the author has attempted to explore and manage the data of previously done engineering properties of soils found in central parts of Ethiopia by using ArcGIS software. As a future work, it is recommended to do some more tests in order to have a reliable and more detail database in the central region of the country