GIS BASED FACILITY LOCATION PLANNING

One of the most important ways an industrial firm, retail outlet, or government agency can enhance its chances of success is to identify good locations for its service facilities. This book integrates geographic information systems (GIS), optimization modeling, aggregation, and heuristic technologies to study facility location planning with different types of consumers. It focuses on shaping our understanding of geographical advantages and consumer behavior in site selection. It aims to satisfy consumers diverse needs and to ease the burden on location decision makers. This book considers consumers various locational and proximity preferences: e.g., some consumers wish to obtain services close to fixed points (e.g., homes), while others wish to receive services close to predetermined paths (e.g., daily commute between home and workplace). This book is particularly helpful for the strategic location of fast food outlets, ATMs, convenience stores, video rentals, advertising billboards, vehicle inspection stations, gasoline stations, and cellular base stations.