Abstract
Various algorithms have been developed to deal with the task of finding the optimum path on either the plane surface (2D), in the 3D space, or on the spherical surface as approximation of the Earth. The purpose of this paper is to utilize remote sensing tools along with the shortest path finding algorithms to find the optimum path convenient for establishing a motorway (bridge or tunnel). The route would provide a connection linking two geographical realistic locations on Earth's surface. The route may consist of several connected constituent segments passing over or under varying depth water or varying height hills and mountains. The coordinates of the route segments are three-dimensional and determined according to some costing criteria and topology constrains. The suggested approach embeds the Google Earth (or similar one such as ArcGIS) software to retrieve the geographical location, defined by its latitude, longitude and altitude, of each point included in the work area. Dijkstra's algorithm has been adapted and embedded with the application to obtain the optimum path according to proposed costing function. The suggested approach has been tested and applied to the proposed causeway and bridge of King Salman as case study. Investigating the obtained results shows that the yielded path is accurate and meets the specified weighting criteria.