GIS approach for analysis of spatial accessibility to public services - concepts, methods, implications

The main aim of the proposed project is to identify patterns of accessibility to different types of public services in Poland. In result, an Atlas of accessibility to public services in Poland will be prepared, supplemented by the detailed, geographical databases consisting of geocoded location of public services providers and the accessibility indicators calculated for particular administrative units: municipalities (gminas, LAU-2 units), powiats (LAU-1) and voivodeships (NUTS-3). All calculations will be enabled by the development of an original, GIS-based computer application. Further, we plan to contribute to the development of a methodology in the field of accessibility to public services, with the special attention focused on the potential of GIS techniques for improving the efficiency of accessibility analysis. The methodological review includes GIS-based measures of accessibility of public services, an influence of modifiable areal unit problem, edge effect, temporal organization of service delivery and usefulness of a raster-based approach for an analysis of accessibility to public services. Finally, the project results should provide an answer to the question whether the location of public service providers (such those related to the delivery of health care, education, child care, social care, public administration, culture and labour market services) is spatially correlated with the distribution of certain socio-economic groups provoking the potential inequalities in access to services of general interest.

Researchers not affiliated at IGSO PAS: dr Michał Andrzej Niedzielski (University of North Dakota), dr Szymon Marcińczak (Uniwersytet Łódzki)