Fuzzy goal programming models for analyzing demand coverage

Abstract

The main objective of demand coverage models is to locate servers so that a given demand space is appropriately covered. Most existing models assume that demand is located at specific points within an area and that coverage is evaluated by certain quantifiable criteria. However, in realistic applications, the concept of coverage may also include qualitative aspects. Moreover, the location of the servers may be determined on the basis of more than one objective. In this paper, we present a number of fuzzy goal programming models for demand coverage. We consider three objectives: (a) maximization of total coverage, (b) maximization of minimum coverage, and (c) minimization of distance to servers of uncovered demand points. Through a series of realistic problem instances, we demonstrate that the proposed models provide satisfactory solutions with respect to all three objectives.