This week we explored Network Analyst and its use in spatial accessibility modeling. The term 'spatial accessibility' essentially refers to service area (such as for fire departments, grocery stores, etc.) - how long will it take to get from here to there, and what areas fall under the same time frame? This type of analysis can also be used for determining the best placement of a new store location, or, if need be, the best candidates for a store closure.
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| Side by side comparison of service areas. |
The above map represents a simple service area analysis comparison. The schools represent the origin point, and the polygons surrounding them represent their 'service area' - broken up into minutes of drive time. The comparison shows what the loss of one of the schools would have on the overall service area network. As can been seen, only those living within the relatively populated section of Travis County, Texas would have the best access to the ACC school system. With the loss of one school this becomes even more true, and those further out may need to consider other options (if possible) for community college.
Network Analyst was utilized to run the service area analysis; a pre-existing streets network layer was used to calculate drive times. The facilities used for the analysis are comprised of the ACC locations, and the polygons displayed represent a travel radius of up to 15 minutes from the school locations. The analysis needed to be run twice - once to show the overall ACC service area, and then again to show the effects of the planned campus closure.
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