Application of OpenStreetMap Data in Ambulance Location Problem

Locating a group of ambulances to get optimum coverage can ensure the efficiency of emergency medical services (EMS) delivery. Maximal covering location problem (MCLP) is a static location model which has been proven as a cost-effective tool in the development of EMS system. Meanwhile, OpenStreetMap (OSM) has gained popularity among the researchers because of its open-source status. Due to the lack of study of its application in EMS, its presence is not much recognized and valued as it should be. In this paper, we present our solution of MCLP to locate a number of ambulances to maximize the coverage of local demands by using OSM geodata. We also discuss on the technique to integrate the local population data within the map. The results show that the ambulance location problem can be solved successfully by using OSM geodata.