I have a surface model Raster
I have known high altitude locations that are best to harvest timber from (Landings) (these can be moved if a more optimal location can be determined by the new road network but must be at the highest location in the area with the least amount of concave surface.
I have hydrography features like streams and ponds rivers that I wish to avoid as much as practical to do so. but I can span these to harvest from opposite sides of valleys.
I wish to position a new road throughout the area that connects these high altitude locations in their shortest path using the constraint of Slope, (i.e. A road to these locations cannot be steeper than +/- 16% gradient or 4m rise/fall in 25m run ).
I will also cut and fill parts of the surface to accommodate a shorter path but I don't really wish to use more dirt in the fill than what a neighbour cut provides, within reason but can borrow soil from nearby locations to help fill.
I don't want to shift soil more the 50 metres in any direction from it's original location without using trucks to transport it to that location (so additional cost per distance and volume of soil needed to move).
The ground terrain is considered steep well beyond limits of just driving straight down the side of a hill.
I also don't want to position a road in such a way that it will impact harvest activity ie a road going through the middle of an area that can be harvested from a landing is going to slow down both the transport and the harvesting work involved. i.e having roads below a landing is a no no.
I have no go zones that I need to stay out of reserves/bush habitat locations.
Each Landing as an operable range of approximately 350 to 400 metres beyond it's location to harvest timber from using a Cable Yarder.
So what GIS tools can I use to determine, first off the best road position taking the shortest path based on slope, and also the least cost to build based on soil movement (effort) constraints and relationships to other potential harvest landing locations.
Can it all be modelled and defined automatically in GIS?