The Application of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System and Fuzzy Delphi Technique to Assess Socio-Economic Impacts of Construction of Rural Roads

One of the key elements for rural development is the connectivity using proper roads, which enhances the passage for economic and social utilities with overall socio-economic development. Socio-economic impact assessment (SEIA) forms one of the significant measures to evaluate the outcome received through infrastructure development in rural areas. SEIA modeling under computational intelligence coupled with fuzzy framework provides significant ground to deal with both qualitative and quantitative data. This study proposes a novel methodology by using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) with Fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) to evaluate socio-economic impacts. The effectiveness of the methodology is presented through a case study for 27 habitations connected with all-weather rural roads constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan State, India. 33 key-parameters under five different criteria are considered for SEIA. For a comprehensive view of the impacts, the results are depicted using ArcGIS tool.