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

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Subal ◽  
Piret Paal ◽  
Jukka M. Krisp
Keyword(s):  
General Practitioners ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Spatial Accessibility ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
System Utilization ◽  
Deutschland Gmbh

Abstract Background It 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. Methods We 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. Results The 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. Conclusions The 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.

scholarly journals Nutrient-Dense Crops for Rural and Peri-Urban Smallholders in Kenya—A Regional Social Accounting Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Krause ◽  
Anja Faße ◽  
Ulrike Grote
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Social Accounting ◽  
Income Effects ◽  
Multiplier Analysis ◽  
African Indigenous Vegetables ◽  
Stability Dimension

Kenya ranks among the countries with the highest micronutrient deficiency worldwide. Due to their high micronutrient content, African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) can be a solution to this problem, and urban areas in Kenya have seen a rise in demand for these crops in the previous decade. To fill the gap between supply and demand, programmes to promote AIV production have been implemented in rural and peri-urban areas. However, the effects of increased AIV production on income and food security in the regional economies are not clear. Thus, in this analysis, we first evaluate differences between the livelihoods of household groups with different levels of food security in rural and peri-urban Kenya using a two-step cluster analysis. Then, we generate a regional social accounting matrix (SAM) and calculate the direct and indirect income effects of AIVs and other crops grown in the area using a multiplier analysis. For the analysis, a total of 706 small-scale vegetable producers in four counties in Kenya were interviewed in 2015. Households in rural areas were more food insecure, especially with respect to the utilization and stability dimension of food security. Multiplier analysis showed increased indirect income effects of AIVs in the regional economy compared to those of many cash crops. We suggest further promoting the production of AIVs in rural and peri-urban Kenya.

scholarly journals Measuring Spatial Accessibility to Pick-Up Service Considering Differentiated Supply and Demand: A Case in Hangzhou, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyun Lin ◽  
Haoying Han ◽  
Wanglin Yan ◽  
Shun Nakayama ◽  
Xianfan Shu
Keyword(s):  
Catchment Area ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Home Delivery ◽  
Maintenance Management ◽  
Spatial Accessibility ◽  
Service Availability ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Property Management ◽  
Great Pressure

In recent years, customer pick-up at collection and delivery points has become a popular alternative to traditional home delivery, which is under great pressure. However, current service of pick-up facilities has seldom been geographically evaluated despite its general uneven distribution and diverse needs. In this paper, in order to interpret the differentiation in customers’ service demands toward reception alternatives and in facilities’ service excludability in different built environments, a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method is improved to measure customers’ spatial accessibility to pick-up facilities, providing a methodology to evaluate the match relation between the differentiated supply and demand of pick-up service. A case study of widespread automated parcel stations (APSs) is conducted in Hangzhou, China and correlative factors to residents’ accessibility are discussed. From the results, residents’ accessibility to pick-up service shows significant spatial unevenness and social inequity in the study area, which is found to correlate most to residences’ maintenance management. As well-managed, gated communities generally hold effective access to exclusive services, most open communities and self-built, single houses are in need of improvement due to inadequate service stemming from a high aging rate, lack of property management, and low service availability of nonexclusive facilities in open areas.

scholarly journals Spatial Accessibility to Sports Facilities in Dongguan, China: A Multi-Preference Gaussian Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Method

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Xiao ◽  
Tengfei Ding ◽  
Xiaoke Zhang ◽  
Zhuolin Tao ◽  
Ye Liu
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Spatial Accessibility ◽  
Sports Facilities ◽  
Driving Mode ◽  
The North ◽  
Working Age

Abstract Background: Equitable access to sports services has drawn attention from policymakers and planners in China as people’s health has been placed at the centre of the country’s policy-making machinery. However, existing approaches to measure the spatial accessibility of sports facilities tend to ignore the heterogeneity in potential users’ demands and facility preferences, thereby causing a bias in the measurement of accessibility. Methods: To accurately measure the spatial accessibility of sports facilities, this paper proposes a multi-preference Gaussian two-step floating catchment area (MG2SFCA) method, taking into account different travel modes, catchment sizes, and facility preferences among different age groups. Empirically, using high-resolution gridded data on actual population distribution, we adopted the MG2SFCA method in examining the spatial accessibility of sports facilities among children, working-age population, and elderly population under walking, cycling, and driving modes in Dongguan, China. Further, a comparison was made between the accessibility results measured by the MG2SFCA method and the Gaussian 2SFCA method.Results: The results indicated a significant spatial disparity in the accessibility to sports facilities, with better accessibility in the north and poorer accessibility in the south. Children have the best access to sports facilities, followed by working-age and elderly populations. In the comparison among different transport modes, the accessibility distribution of sports facilities in walking mode showed the greatest spatial variation, while accessibility in driving mode was the most balanced. The spatial variation of accessibility scores of MG2SFCA was more significant than that of Gaussian 2SFCA.Conclusions: The MG2SFCA method is superior to the traditional Gaussian 2SFCA method because the former can capture disadvantaged people’s actual needs for sports facilities more accurately than the latter. Introducing demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individuals into spatial accessibility measurement has a vital impact on the accurate reflection of accessibility inequality.

scholarly journals Spatial Accessibility in Urban Regeneration Areas: A Population-Weighted Method Assessing the Social Amenity Provision

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 189-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Gutting ◽  
Maria Gerhold ◽  
Stefanie Rößler
Keyword(s):  
Population Distribution ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Spatial Accessibility ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Gis Tools ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Evaluation And Monitoring ◽  
Walking Time

Principles of social sustainability serve to guide urban regeneration programmes around the world. Increasingly, the upholding of these principles is subject to qualified evaluation and monitoring. One of the cornerstones of social sustainability is access to basic services. This is also a strategic and operational objective in urban regeneration measures. While indicator-based evaluations of accessibility do exist, hitherto they have tended to apply descriptive statistics or density parameters only. Therefore, there is a need for small-scale, regularly updated information on accessibility, such as the nearest facility based on street networks and population density. This deficit can often be attributed to the complex methodological requirements. To meet this need, our article presents a method for determining the spatial accessibility of basic services with low data requirements. Accessibility is measured in walking time and linked to the local population distribution. More specifically, GIS tools in connection with land survey data are used to estimate the number of inhabitants per building; the walking time needed to reach four types of social amenity along the street network is then determined for each building; finally, a population-weighted accessibility index is derived and mapped in a 50-m grid. To test this method, we investigated four urban regeneration areas in Dresden, Germany. The results show that with freely available geodata, it is possible to identify neighbourhoods and buildings with both high population densities and poor accessibility to basic services. Corresponding maps can be used to monitor urban regeneration measures or form a basis for further action.

scholarly journals SPEAR (Solar Pyrolysis Energy Access Reactor): Theoretical Design and Evaluation of a Small-Scale Low-Cost Pyrolysis Unit for Implementation in Rural Communities

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2189
Author(s):  
Cesare Caputo ◽  
Ondřej Mašek
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Tracking Error ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Pyrolysis Unit

Energy access and waste management are two of the most pressing developmental and environmental issues on a global level to help mitigate the accelerating impacts of climate change. They are particularly relevant in Sub–Saharan Africa where electrification rates are significantly below global averages and rural areas are lacking a formal waste management sector. This paper explores the potential of integrating solar energy into a biomass pyrolysis unit as a potentially synergetic solution to both issues. The full design of a slow pyrolysis batch reactor targeted at biochar production, following a strict cost minimization approach, is presented in light of the relevant considerations. SPEAR is powered using a Cassegrain optics parabolic dish system, integrated into the reactor via a manual tracking system and optically optimized with a Monte-Carlo ray tracing methodology. The design approach employed has led to the development an overall cost efficient system, with the potential to achieve optical efficiencies up 72% under a 1.5° tracking error. The outputs of the system are biochar and electricity, to be used for soil amendment and energy access purposes, respectively. There is potential to pyrolyze a number of agricultural waste streams for the region, producing at least 5 kg of biochar per unit per day depending on the feedstock employed. Financial assessment of SPEAR yields a positive Net Present Value (NPV) in nearly all scenarios evaluated and a reasonable competitiveness with small scale solar for electrification objectives. Finally, SPEAR presents important positive social and environmental externalities and should be feasibly implementable in the region in the near term.

Reflections on Ecological and Environmental Construction of New Rural Program in Underdeveloped Areas

2011 ◽  
Vol 368-373 ◽  
pp. 3602-3606
Author(s):  
Ze Xin Li ◽  
Min Chen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Economy ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Environment Protection ◽  
Underdeveloped Areas ◽  
Rural Program ◽  
Rural Construction ◽  
New Rural Construction

Underdeveloped rural areas have good but very vulnerable ecological environment, so the environment protection should be given priority in new rural construction. Based on the problems that rural areas have faced in ecological environment, some thoughts are given in this paper on ecological and environmental: ①To solve the conflicts between the development of rural economy and ecological environment protection, the development of eco-industry can be a key solution. ② For the point that people of underdeveloped areas live in scattered and small scale groups, which leads to difficulty in facility arrangements, some proposals are put forward on the construction of living environment in underdeveloped new rural areas.

scholarly journals Using network analysis to analyse the complex interaction of factors causing the failure of small-scale water infrastructure (SWI) in the rural areas of South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3 July) ◽  
Author(s):  
DC Sambo ◽  
A Senzanje ◽  
K Dhavu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Technical Community ◽  
Drying Up

Some parts of the rural areas of South Africa are receiving water services below the legislative standards stipulated in the Water Services Act (1997) of South Africa. This is because small-scale water infrastructures (SWI), including standpipes, handpumps and windmills, are failing to supply adequate water in rural communities for various activities that enhance their livelihoods. This is due to technical, community, institutional, and environmental factors. Literature indicates that these factors are complex in nature. However, research on their complex interactions has been limited. Therefore, the complex interactions of the factors causing SWI failure were investigated and analysed in this study. A qualitative research approach was employed to investigate the factors that cause failure of SWI. The network approach combined with graph theory and the community structure method were used to generate a theme and domain network that allowed for a systematic analysis and interpretation of the causes of SWI failure in the study area. The major causes of failure identified include: (i) the use of a top-down approach to implement water projects in rural communities without consultation, (ii) sharing of SWI in high numbers due to the limited number of SWI available/functional, resulting in overloading and increased breakdowns, and (iii) drying up of water sources due to poor siting leading to vandalism of SWI. Overall, the causes of SWI failure are as a result of the complex interactions of different categories of factors. The theme and domain network is a powerful tool that can be used represent and analyse the complex interactions. It is therefore imperative for interventions aiming to improve rural water supply to analyse the complex interactions of the causes of SWI failure to understand the underlying problems at a level of a system, in order to propose suitable solutions.

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