Geocoding Methods Research Articles

Exploiting available data sources: location/allocation modeling for health service planning in rural Ghana

The preconditions for applying GIS-based location-allocation analysis for health service planning in rural Ghana are examined in terms of data availability and quality. A population map is established from the latest available census using geo-coding methods and digital topographic sheets. A vector-based transport model of the region is established by merging data from several sources including GPS. It is suggested that a hybrid transport model is required. This model combines the possibilities for all-direction transportation inherent in the raster-based approach with the possibilities for road/path transportation inherent in the vector-based approach. All-direction movements are expected to take place close to the villages in order to reach a suitable linear transport corridor represented by a vector. Several scenarios for improving the accessibility aspects of the health service provision are examined in light of Ghana's current health service policy. Location-allocation modelling tools are used to select optimal locations and provide statistics on average distance to health centres and percentage of population covered.

Cartographic data banks

This appeal for more coordinated attention to data banks in Australia provides comment on geocoding methods of collecting spatially distributed data and briefly reviews problems of data manipulation and data output. The author concludes that because of the urgent need to make an inventory of Australia's resources it is necessary to undertake a survey of potential cartographic data bank users as well as organizations likely to be involved in data collection.