Siting a facility in continuous space to maximize coverage of a region

Abstract

Siting facilities in continuous space such that continuously distributed demand within a region is optimally served is a challenging location problem. This problem is further complicated by the non-convexity of regions typically encountered in practice. In this paper a model for maximizing the service coverage of continuously distributed demand through the location of a single service facility in continuous space is proposed. To address this problem, theoretical conditions are established and associated methods are proposed for optimally siting a service facility in a region (convex or non-convex) with uniformly distributed demand. Through the use of geographic information systems (GIS), the developed approach is applied to identify facility sites that maximize regional coverage provided limitations on facility service ability.