Spatial Accessibility Index Research Articles

Spatial Distribution of Public Lower Secondary School and its Impact on Students’ Enrolment in Ogun Central Senatorial District Ogun State, Nigeria

Given the quest for universal basic education, the large enrolments in the Nigerian secondary educational institutions has resulted in the problem of over-crowded classes, shortage of teachers and shortages of classroom, which portend enormous challenges to the development of the educational sector in Ogun state. Using Ogun Central as a case study, the study identified the spatial pattern of the schools; analyzing students’ enrolment trends in the area, and identifying the factors associated with the observed pattern. Spatial analysis tool in ArcGIS was used to analyze both the spatial accessibility index and the students’ annual enrolment trend of the lower secondary school in the area. The result of the nearest neighbor analysis for the spatial pattern of lower secondary schools in the study revealed a random pattern. This pattern implies that the lower secondary schools are located far from one another, which indicates, that for students to attend the schools, most of them need to cover long distances. The spatial distribution of junior secondary school is influenced by socioeconomic status, environmental factors, demographic characteristics, transportation infrastructure, and geographic accessibility, which are key determinants of educational equity. Linear regression analysis was employed to identify trends and predict future enrollments of students. Further, the results of the trend analysis of enrolments of students in the zone from 2020 – 2023 reveal a negative trend. This implies a decrease in students’ enrolment as the year increases. The four years (2020 – 2023) annual trend of enrolments in the zone is represented by the negative trend y = -3180.3x + 99400. This result suggests that the students’ enrolments in the zone would gradually keep decreasing as time goes on if quick remedial actions are not taken. However, factors such as shortage of teachers, shortage of classrooms, COVID-19, insufficient infrastructural facilities and fuel subsidy removal could be responsible for the negative enrolment trend

Multidimensional Healthcare Access Barriers to Prostate-Specific Antigen Testing: A Nation-Wide Panel Study in the United States From 2006 to 2020.

Rising metastatic prostate cancer incidence has renewed debate regarding benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. Identifying barriers to accessing screening for individuals at high risk of lethal prostate cancer may slow this rise. We examined associations of access barriers with receipt of PSA testing, stratified by sociodemographic factors. We pooled data from male respondents to Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Systems (BRFSS) surveys from 2006 to 2020. Questions related to affordability (insurance, cost of visits) and accommodation (regular primary care provider (PCP), physician recommending a PSA test) were considered as individual-level barriers. For availability, we linked provider density from the 2012 Area Health Resource File and estimated driving times to closest health facility within Micropolitan and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MMSA) using Google Earth Engine. These measures were used to compute a spatial accessibility index. We fit survey-weighted, covariate-adjusted logistic regression models to estimate associations of barriers with receipt of PSA within the past 2 years and examined effect modification by sociodemographic factors. There were 185,643 participants, of whom 73% were White, 11% were Black, 4% were Asian, and 11% were Hispanic. Physician recommendation was the strongest predictor of having a PSA test (aOR: 14.5, 95% CI: 13.6, 15.6). Not having a regular PCP (aOR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.31), insurance (aOR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.71), and prohibitive cost of care (aOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.90) were associated with lower PSA testing. Access barriers were stronger predictors of PSA testing for Asian and White participants compared to other groups (Phet < 0.004 for insurance and regular PCP) and for those with college education compared to those without (Phet < 0.05 for insurance, perceived unaffordability). Physician recommendation was the strongest predictor of receipt of PSA testing, regardless of sociodemographic grouping. Future studies should consider access barriers jointly and across sociodemographic strata.

Spatial accessibility of home visiting nursing: An exploratory ecological study.

Japan is one of the oldest societies worldwide and manages a system of care for older adults in the community. In the 2000s, a community-based integrated care system was introduced to enable older adults to live in their neighborhoods. Home visiting nursing (HVN) is a crucial component of this system; however, the current and future shortage of home visiting nurses is a concern. Thus, HVN services may not be available in some areas; however, no indicators of the accessibility of HVN services have been developed. Developing accessibility indicators will serve as a standard for considering the allocation of health care resources and supporting future nursing policies that improve regional disparities. We estimated the population-weighted spatial accessibility index (PWSAI) of HVN services in Hokkaido, using the two-step floating catchment area method (2SFCA). The 2SFCA comprised population, location of HVN agencies, number of home visiting nurses, and travel time. A multivariate regression model was run for the number of HVN users in each municipality as the objective variable to test the validity of the PWSAI; the number of home care support clinics, home care support hospitals, HVN agencies, home visiting nurses, home visiting nurses (24/7), total beds in health care facilities for older adults, and nursing homes for older adults were included as other explanatory variables. The PWSAI was median 9.0 [interquartile range: 6.2-11.8]. The distribution of the PWSAI was mapped to visualize the existence of regional differences. As a result of the conditional autoregressive model, PWSAI and home visiting nurses (24/7) were significant, Exp(β) and 95% credible interval were 1.043 [1.015-1.076] and 1.021 [1.006-1.036], respectively. The PWSAI was positively correlated with the number of HVN users in each municipality and can serve as an indicator for assessing the accessibility of HVN.

Spatial Accessibility to Primary Care in Metropolitan France: Results Using the SCALE Spatial Accessibility Index for All Regions.

Accessibility to care is a major public health issue. Various tools to assess it are available, but they do not solve the problem of scale. Moreover, accessibility is a multidimensional concept that is not taken into account with current tools. The SCALE index aims to overcome these two limitations by proposing a synthetic measure on a more precise scale than the administrative unit or the sub-municipal scale. Under the assumption of access to care facilities for all and access to the nearest facilities, the potential accessibility distance was calculated for each couple (residential area, accessible facilities). This was defined as the average distance by road that the population has to travel to access care. To take the availability of resources into account, these distances were weighted by the theoretical pressure on the facilities. The SCALE index was then calculated using a linear combination of the distances of potential accessibility to care facilities It highlights differences in accessibility at the national and regional scale. Using this index, it was possible to provide maps for all French regions and the major cities in a story-map. The major conurbation around Paris and the main urban centers has high accessibility. Low accessibility forms a "Y" shape. In conclusion, the SCALE index measures accessibility at the scale of a small geographic unit taking the proximity and the availability of health professionals into account. It is also possible to take into account the diversity of accessibility in a given territory.

Optimal allocation of physicians improves accessibility and workload disparities in stroke care

BackgroundInequalities in access to stroke care and the workload of physicians have been a challenge in recent times. This may be resolved by allocating physicians suitable for the expected demand. Therefore, this study analyzes whether reallocation using an optimization model reduces disparities in spatial access to healthcare and excessive workload.MethodsThis study targeted neuroendovascular specialists and primary stroke centers in Japan and employed an optimization model for reallocating neuroendovascular specialists to reduce the disparity in spatial accessibility to stroke treatment and workload for neuroendovascular specialists in Japan. A two-step floating catchment area method and an inverted two-step floating catchment area method were used to estimate the spatial accessibility and workload of neuroendovascular specialists as a potential crowdedness index. Quadratic programming has been proposed for the reallocation of neuroendovascular specialists.ResultsThe reallocation of neuroendovascular specialists reduced the disparity in spatial accessibility and the potential crowdedness index. The standard deviation (SD) of the demand-weighted spatial accessibility index improved from 125.625 to 97.625. Simultaneously, the weighted median spatial accessibility index increased from 2.811 to 3.929. Additionally, the SD of the potential crowdedness index for estimating workload disparity decreased from 10,040.36 to 5934.275 after optimization. The sensitivity analysis also showed a similar trend of reducing disparities.ConclusionsThe reallocation of neuroendovascular specialists reduced regional disparities in spatial accessibility to healthcare, potential crowdedness index, and disparities between facilities. Our findings contribute to planning health policies to realize equity throughout the healthcare system.

Evaluating potential disparities in geospatial access to American College of Surgeons/American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-verified emergency general surgery centers.

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the American College of Surgeons have recently introduced emergency general surgery (EGS) center verification, which could enhance patient outcomes. Distance and resource availability may affect access to these centers, which has been linked to higher mortality. Although many patients can receive adequate care at community centers, those with critical conditions may require specialized treatment at EGS-verified centers. We aimed to evaluate geospatial access to potential EGS-verified centers and identify disparities across different scenarios of EGS verification program uptake in the United States. We used hospital capabilities and verified pilot centers to estimate potential patterns of which centers would become EGS verified under four scenarios (EGS centers, high-volume EGS centers, high-volume EGS plus level 1 trauma centers, and quaternary referral centers). We calculated the spatial accessibility index using an enhanced two-step floating catchment technique to determine geospatial access for each scenario. We also evaluated social determinants of health across geospatial access using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). A total of 1,932 hospitals were categorized as EGS centers, 307 as high-volume EGS centers, 401 as high-volume EGS plus level 1trauma centers, and 146 as quaternary centers. Spatial accessibility index decreased as the stringency of EGS verification increased in each scenario (226.6 [111.7-330.7], 51.8 [0-126.1], 71.52 [3.34-164.56], 6.2 [0-62.2]; p < 0.001). Within each scenario, spatial accessibility index also declined as the ADI quartile increased ( p < 0.001). The high-volume EGS plus level 1trauma center scenario had the most significant disparity in access between the first and fourth ADI quartiles (-54.68). Access to EGS-verified centers may vary considerably based on the program's implementation. Disadvantaged communities may be disproportionately affected by limited access. Further work to study regional needs can allow a strategic implementation of the EGS verification program to optimize outcomes while minimizing disparities. Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.

Access to mechanical thrombectomy and ischemic stroke mortality in Japan: a spatial ecological study.

Advances in stroke treatment have greatly improved outcomes; however, disparities in access to treatment might increase. Achieving equitable access to stroke treatment is a health policy challenge, as rapid treatment is essential for positive outcomes. This ecological cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between the disparities in spatial accessibility to mechanical thrombectomy (SAMT) and stroke mortality rates in Japan, hypothesizing that disparities in SAMT may increase the differences in stroke mortality between regions. We used the average number of ischemic stroke (IS) deaths between 2020 and 2021 as the response variable; and SAMT, medical resources, and socioeconomic characteristics of each municipality as explanatory variables. A conditional autoregressive model was used to examine the association between the risk of stroke mortality and SAMT. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was mapped to understand the nationwide disparities in stroke mortality risk. The median number of IS deaths was 17.5 persons per year in the municipalities (2020 to 2021). The study also found that municipalities with low SAMT were located in the northern part of Japan. The non-spatial regression model results indicated that poor accessibility, a small proportion of bachelor's degrees or higher, and a high proportion of workers in secondary industries were related to high IS mortality. Three models were evaluated using spatial analysis; Model 1 with accessibility indicators alone, Model 2 with medical resources added to Model 1, and Model 3 with socioeconomic characteristics added to Model 2. In Models 1 and 2, the population-weighted spatial accessibility index (PWSAI) showed a significant negative relationship with stroke mortality. However, this was not evident in Model 3. Mapping using Model 3 showed that the high-risk areas were predominantly located in northern Japan, excluding Hokkaido. Access to mechanical thrombectomy was estimated, and regional differences were observed. The relationship between accessibility and IS mortality is unknown; however, regardless of accessibility, municipalities with a high proportion of workers in secondary industries and a small proportion with bachelor's degrees or above are at risk of death from stroke.

Development of a Spatial Accessibility Index for Assessing Health Infrastructure Using AHP Approach: A Case Study of Andhra Pradesh State

Development of a Spatial Accessibility Index for Assessing Health Infrastructure Using AHP Approach: A Case Study of Andhra Pradesh State

Spatial Accessibility Assessment of Homecare Workers to the Older Population in the City of Zurich

Abstract. Access to homecare is paramount for the older population wishing not to move to retirement homes. In Zurich, the organization “Spitex Zürich” is the public homecare provider, allowing the older population to experience high-quality life at home through regular visits. A major factor for ensuring self-determined living for the older population consists of a detailed understanding of the spatial accessibility to Spitex locations. Therefore, this paper is concerned with applying four different FCA methods for assessing the spatial accessibility of Spitex homecare workers to people aged 65 + in Zurich through the road and bike networks. The modified-Huff-model-three-step-FCA method is found to be best suited for modeling potential spatial accessibility in Zurich. Spatial accessibility index values show similar geographical distributions regardless of transportation mode. The neighborhoods of Seebach and Hottingen are identified as regions with relatively low spatial accessibility. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the interpretation and the measurement of spatial accessibility, thereby facilitating autonomous living for the older population residing in Zurich, ultimately increasing the inclusiveness of the city.

Geographic accessibility and hospital competition for emergency blood transfusion services in Bungoma, Western Kenya

BackgroundEstimating accessibility gaps to essential health interventions helps to allocate and prioritize health resources. Access to blood transfusion represents an important emergency health requirement. Here, we develop geo-spatial models of accessibility and competition to blood transfusion services in Bungoma County, Western Kenya.MethodsHospitals providing blood transfusion services in Bungoma were identified from an up-dated geo-coded facility database. AccessMod was used to define care-seeker’s travel times to the nearest blood transfusion service. A spatial accessibility index for each enumeration area (EA) was defined using modelled travel time, population demand, and supply available at the hospital, assuming a uniform risk of emergency occurrence in the county. To identify populations marginalized from transfusion services, the number of people outside 1-h travel time and those residing in EAs with low accessibility indexes were computed at the sub-county level. Competition between the transfusing hospitals was estimated using a spatial competition index which provided a measure of the level of attractiveness of each hospital. To understand whether highly competitive facilities had better capacity for blood transfusion services, a correlation test between the computed competition metric and the blood units received and transfused at the hospital was done.Results15 hospitals in Bungoma county provide transfusion services, however these are unevenly distributed across the sub-counties. Average travel time to a blood transfusion centre in the county was 33 min and 5% of the population resided outside 1-h travel time. Based on the accessibility index, 38% of the EAs were classified to have low accessibility, representing 34% of the population, with one sub-county having the highest marginalized population. The computed competition index showed that hospitals in the urban areas had a spatial competitive advantage over those in rural areas.ConclusionThe modelled spatial accessibility has provided an improved understanding of health care gaps essential for health planning. Hospital competition has been illustrated to have some degree of influence in provision of health services hence should be considered as a significant external factor impacting the delivery, and re-design of available services.

Neighborhood Alcohol Outlet Density, Historical Redlining, and Violent Crime in NYC 2014–2018

Alcohol outlets tend to cluster in lower income neighborhoods and do so disproportionately in areas with more residents of color. This study explores the association between on- and off-premise alcohol outlet density and history of redlining with violent crime in New York City between 2014 and 2018. Alcohol outlet density was calculated using a spatial accessibility index. Multivariable linear regression models assess associations between the history of redlining, on-premise and off-premise alcohol outlet density with serious crime. Each unit increase in on- and off-premise alcohol density was associated with a significant increase in violent crime (β = 3.1, p < 0.001 on-premise and β = 33.5, p < 0.001 off premise). In stratified models (redlined vs not redlined community block groups) the association between off-premise alcohol outlet density and violent crime density was stronger in communities with a history of redlining compared to those without redlining (β = 42.4, p < 0.001 versus β = 30.9, p < 0.001, respectively). However, on-premise alcohol outlet density was only significantly associated with violent crime in communities without a history of redlining (β = 3.6, p < 0.001). The violent crime experienced by formerly redlined communities in New York City is likely related to a legacy of racialized housing policies and may be associated with state policies that allow for high neighborhood alcohol outlet density.

Extending floating catchment area methods to estimate future hospital bed capacity requirements

A new hospital in north-west Sydney, Australia is to start construction in the year 2023. However, the number of emergency department beds/treatment spaces (EDBs) that it will contain is yet to be determined, as this region is expected to have relatively high population growth from year 2021 to year 2036. In this paper, floating catchment area (FCA) methods were employed to estimate the required number of EDBs for this new hospital.Metrics including spatial accessibility index and spatial equity were calculated based on the predicted populations for 2021 and 2036 using government sourced data. Specifically, potential spatial accessibility and horizontal spatial equity were employed for this paper.Mathematical optimisation was used to determine the most efficient distribution of EDBs throughout different hospitals in this region in 2036. The best allocation of capacity across the study area that simultaneously improved average spatial accessibility and improved spatial equity relative to the metrics of 2021 was found.Traditional methods of healthcare planning seldom consider the spatial location of populations or the travel cost to hospitals. This paper presents a novel method to how capacity of future services are determined due to population growth. These results can be compared to traditional methods to access the validity of the methods outlined in this paper.

Population mobility network and spatial accessibility based on peer-to-peer interactive energy management

With the advancement of science and technology and the development of the world economy, the global demand for energy is increasing day by day. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the utilization rate of fossil fuels. The key is to promote the rapid development of renewable energy and increase the proportion of new energy consumption. Therefore, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of the energy structure has become the top priority of future energy policies, and energy management has also become a hot topic in contemporary times. The high-speed and free population flow between cities has promoted the flow of production factors within the region, and a population flow network is slowly forming. The spatial accessibility index is used to evaluate the rationality of the spatial layout of urban facilities, and can also be used to test the service efficiency and the fairness of spatial distribution. This paper explores population mobility networks and spatial accessibility based on peer-to-peer interactive energy management. The purpose is to propose a good population flow network and spatial accessibility research method to explore the urban population flow characteristics and spatial characteristics with higher efficiency. This paper first introduces related methods for interactive energy management, population mobility networks, and spatial accessibility. A network analysis model of population flow is proposed, and the evaluation index and method of spatial accessibility are proposed. Finally, two experiments are done in this paper. First, we study the population mobility network in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chongqing. The result is a correlation between the average distance of the network edges and the node degree value. The larger the degree value, the larger the average distance. The second experiment investigates the spatial accessibility of commercial facilities in Hangzhou. It is concluded that the difference between the maximum and minimum values of Hangzhou's total clustering degree is 86.3, and the standard deviation is 38.98. It proves that the global integration of Hangzhou is unbalanced and the degree of agglomeration is not high.

Small Island Spatial Accessibility: The Case of San Vicente, Northern Samar, Philippines

The spatial accessibility serves as a lifeline that sustains the existence and survival of small island communities with limited resources. Yet, there is a lack of studies that focus on transport availability and characteristics as measures of small island spatial accessibility. A Small Island Spatial Accessibility Index (SISAI) was created to determine the spatial accessibility of San Vicente, Northern Samar, an archipelagic municipality consisting of seven small islands. The indicators used include distance (km), number of public vehicles available, one-day return trip (presence/absence), number of vehicles that travel per week, number of trips per week, total vehicle passenger capacity per week, and transport connectivity. The distance and transport characteristics are essential in measuring the small island's spatial accessibility. Environmental factors, e.g., extreme weather events, also affect the accessibility of small islands. Additionally, to understand further the accessibility situation in the island group, the accessibility problems of the islanders were determined using focus groups and surveys. A Spatial Accessibility Problem Confrontation Index (SAPCI) was developed, which showed that disruption of the spatial accessibility of the islands due to big waves, bad weather, unsafe conditions of the vehicles, and unfollowed schedules were the four main problems that concern households. Thus, the stacking of goods, the government's provision of a storage facility, and support of the business sector are critical in sustaining the needs of island communities, especially during calamities. Moreover, the study recommends the conduct of a transportation feasibility study to improve the spatial accessibility of the area.

Comparative study of using E2SFCA and 3SFCA methods for selected healthcare resources in Jordan during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to enhance the spatial accessibility of the local public in Amman city to select healthcare resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of doctors and nurses in all public hospitals in all cities, particularly Amman, significantly increased. In this study, the spatial accessibility of Amman sub-districts was assessed using these resources to determine the extent to which residents had access to health resources during the pandemic when demand for healthcare capacity was increased. The spatial accessibility index was computed using the three-step floating catchment area (3SFCA) method, which rates these sub-districts with a degree of accessibility to healthcare services, considering spatial travel time and demand for healthcare services. The enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) approach was used to compare the 3SFCA scores and its spatial pattern by population environmental structure and income level. The integrated Gaussian weight of 3SFCA significantly decreased the study area's high estimate of the demand problem. The number of residential areas identified as being in a doctor’s healthcare shortage by 3SFCA and E2SFCA were three and four, respectively. For nurses, this equaled two and four, respectively.

Towards Attaining Sustainable Retail Property Locations: The Relationships between Supply, Demand, and Accessibility of Retail Spaces

This study explored retail location performance of cities by investigating relationships between changes in retail property stock (supply), changes in retail rental value (demand), and spatial accessibility (retail consumer movement) across three UK cities, namely, Leeds, Newcastle, and York. This is to understand how retail locations and assets can be managed sustainably. In this sense, sustainability was considered through a dual focus in this paper: (1) the efficient use of retail property assets for economic purposes and (2) the impact of these physical retail assets on the local environment in terms of carbon footprint. The study relied on space syntax ideology in computing spatial accessibility index and adopted business rate datasets in computing changes in retail rental value and stock. Findings showed that spatial accessibility across retail locations could predict the performance of retail rental value (but not stock) across the sampled cities. The study further showed that extent of city analysis (scale) is significant in estimating retail location performance and understanding the influence of accessibility. This evidence has the potential to facilitate better decision-making concerning the planning, design, and management of retail locations and spaces. The study is significant because it can serve as a reference for promoting an urban sustainability agenda, especially in ensuring that urban land and properties are used optimally to maximise their social, economic, and environmental values.

Quantifying spatial accessibility of general practitioners by applying a modified huff three-step floating catchment area (MH3SFCA) method

BackgroundIt is necessary to ensure sufficient healthcare. The use of current, precise and realistic methods to model spatial accessibility to healthcare and thus improved decision-making is helping this process. Generally, these methods—which include the family of floating catchment area (FCA) methods—incorporate a number of criteria that address topics like access, efficiency, budget, equity and the overall system utilization. How can we measure spatial accessibility? This paper investigates a sophisticated approach for quantifying the spatial accessibility of general practitioners. (GPs). Our objective is the investigation and application of a spatial accessibility index by an improved Huff three-step floating catchment area (MH3SFCA) method.MethodsWe modify and implement the huff model three-step floating catchment area (MH3SFCA) method and exemplary calculation of the spatial accessibility indices for the test study area. The method is extended to incorporate a more realistic way to model the distance decay effect. To that end, instead of a binary approach, a continuous approach is employed. Therefore, each distance between a healthcare site and the population is incorporated individually. The study area includes Swabia and the city of Augsburg, Germany. The data for analysis is obtained from following data sources: (1) Acxiom Deutschland GmbH (2020) provided a test dataset for the locations of general practitioners (GPs); (2) OpenStreetMap (OSM) data is utilized for road networks; and (3) the Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (German official census 2011) provided a population distribution dataset stemming from the 2011 Census.ResultsThe spatial accessibility indices are distributed in an inhomogeneous as well as polycentric pattern for the general practitioners (GPs). Differences in spatial accessibility are found mainly between urban and rural areas. The transitions from lower to higher values of accessibility or vice versa in general are smooth rather than abrupt. The results indicate that the MH3SFCA method is suited for comparing the spatial accessibility of GPs in different regions. The results of the MH3SFCA method can be used to indicate over- and undersupplied areas. However, the absolute values of the indices do not inherently define accessibility to be too low or too high. Instead, the indices compare the spatial relationships between each supply and demand location. As a result, the higher the value of the accessibility indices, the higher the opportunities for the respective population locations. The result for the study area are exemplary as the test input data has a high uncertainty. Depending on the objective, it might be necessary to further analyze the results of the method.ConclusionsThe application of the MH3SFCA method on small-scale data can provide an overview of accessibility for the whole study area. As many factors have to be taken into account, the outcomes are too complex for a direct and clear interpretation of why indices are low or high. The MH3SFCA method can be used to detect differences in accessibility on a small scale. In order to effectively detect over- or undersupply, further analysis must be conducted and/or different (legal) constraints must be applied. The methodology requires input data of high quality.

Estimating health service utilization potential using the supply-concentric demand-accumulation spatial availability index: a pulmonary rehabilitation case study

The potential for a population at a given location to utilize a health service can be estimated using a newly developed measure called the supply-concentric demand accumulation (SCDA) spatial availability index. Spatial availability is the amount of demand at the given location that can be satisfied by the supply of services at a facility, after discounting the intervening demand among other populations that are located nearer to a facility location than the given population location. This differs from spatial accessibility measures which treat absolute distance or travel time as the factor that impedes utilization. The SCDA is illustrated using pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), which is a treatment for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The spatial availability of PR was estimated for each Census block group in Georgia using the 1105 residents who utilized one of 45 PR facilities located in or around Georgia. Data was provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The geographic patterns of the SCDA spatial availability index and the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) spatial accessibility index were compared with the observed PR utilization rate using bivariate local indicators of spatial association. The SCDA index was more associated with PR utilization (Morans I = 0.607, P < 0.001) than was the 2SFCA (Morans I = 0.321, P < 0.001). These results suggest that the measures of spatial availability may be a better way to estimate the health care utilization potential than measures of spatial accessibility.

Spatial accessibility analysis of schools using geospatial techniques

The main objective of the present study is to enhance the accessibility facilities for local public to educational centers in Tiruchirappalli City. For this approach, the existing K-12 schools, Census tracts and road network were spatially plotted using the techniques of geospatial system. Spatial accessibility index is computed using Three-step floating catchment area (3SFCA) method. The findings indicate (39%) of catchment area has been shortage of education facilities. The index of 3SFCA and its spatial pattern has been compared, validated using enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method. The incorporated Gaussian weight of 3SFCA clearly reduces the high estimate of demand problem of the study area. Through 3SFCA and E2SFCA, the number of wards observed to be shortage is 14 and 26 respectively. Overall, the analysis concludes that 3SFCA is an effective method in spatial planning of educational facilities. In future, this study enables the urban planners and decision makers to maximize spatial accessibility by establishing a new facility and improve the existing facilities in shortage region.

Towards vertical spatial equity of urban facilities: An integration of spatial and aspatial accessibility

To ensure adequate access to urban facilities, it is important for urban planners to achieve equity in the geographical arrangement of such facilities. For the evaluation of vertical spatial equity in the geographical organization of urban facilities, there is a requirement to examine whether and to what degree the variation in spatial accessibility to urban facilities corresponds to the variation in aspatial accessibility for such facilities. While no studies so far measure vertical spatial equity in accordance with ‘need’ and ‘demand’ based approaches of equity with a focus on both spatial and aspatial accessibility. Therefore, this paper attempts to measure an integrated spatial accessibility index for the evaluation of geographic variation in spatial accessibility to urban facilities, and then, seeks to integrate spatial accessibility and aspatial accessibility in one framework to evaluate vertical spatial equity in the geographical arrangement of urban facilities. This paper measures integrated spatial accessibility index for urban facilities following the concept of 2SFCA method incorporating supply and demand for urban facilities, the travel distance or time that users are willing to cover to reach such facilities, and the interaction of residents across geographic boundaries. Aspatial accessibility to urban facilities is defined through demographic-demand index and social-need index for those facilities. Spearmen correlation coefficient, spatial analysis models (local spatial autocorrelation in this case), and overlay are used to assess the association between spatial accessibility and aspatial accessibility to urban facilities. The results indicate there exists a variation (inequality) in spatial accessibility to urban facilities in the case study area (DCC). Urban facilities are inequitably distributed within DCC, as high-social-need areas and high-demographic-demand areas have low spatial accessibility to such facilities. These areas should be prioritized in distributing urban facilities in the future, and thus, it can help urban planners to achieve an equitable distribution of urban facilities.