Abstract

A review of GIS applications in operations research
Track: Transportation
Authors: Avijit Sarkar, Hindupur Ramakrishna

Several classical problems in operations research (OR) such as the vehicle routing problem and problems in facility location are inherently spatial in nature. The last two decades have witnessed a steady growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) towards the efficient solution of complex large-scale problems in site location and vehicle routing. This research collects, synthesizes, and analyzes articles published in leading OR journals (1990-2010) and provides a taxonomy of those articles in terms of publication trends, research methodologies, etc. Each article is analyzed in terms of application area, the role of GIS, the role of OR, management level (operational, tactical, or strategic) for the application, and benefits derived. The objective is to uncover the level of geospatial analysis and understand the value added by GIS. Trends are identified from the surveyed applications and scope of GIS integration in unexplored areas is also outlined.