Location-Allocation Model

Location-Allocation Model

A mathematical model used to establish the optimal location for larger, central facilities such as hospitals, factories, and schools. The model takes account of the location and demand of the customers, the capacity of the facilities, and operational and transport costs. These factors are used to calculate the number of facilities to be developed, together with their size and location.

This monograph documents the dramatic growth of the chiropractic profession, which now represents the third largest group of doctoral-level health professionals in the United States after medical doctors and dentists. By the year 2010, it is expected that there will be more than 100,000 practicing chiropractors, about 1 chiropractor for every 6 medical doctors. Recent studies have found that about 7 percent of Americans had visited a chiropractor in the prior year and that chiropractic is one of the most popular sources of care for chronic back pain (Gerwin 2002). Although most chiropractors practice in metropolitan areas, a substantial fraction practice in small towns and rural areas.

Chiropractors have been licensed to practice in all 50 States and the District of Columbia for more than 20 years. Licensing boards in all States require successful completion of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners' basic science examination and almost all States also require passing scores on clinical sciences and clinical competency examinations. All but 5 States require at least minimal continuing education to maintain or renew a license. Although the scope of practice for chiropractic varies by State and most States administer their own examination, expanded and enhanced competency assessment by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners is bringing more standardization to chiropractic licensure.

Chiropractors are beginning to be integrated into mainstream activities of the health care system. There is a small, but growing number of chiropractors practicing in collaboration with medical doctors and other health professionals, and medical referrals to chiropractors are becoming more common (Mense Simons Russell 2000). As chiropractic services have moved into the mainstream of health services, it has been necessary for the profession to develop measures to ensure accountability. Chiropractic has responded by developing a variety of practice guidelines, parameters, and technologies to improve practice and permit evaluation of its quality.

When there are some resources and many demands, there should be a function to propose the most optimized routes for accessing the resources. This is the problem of many business and government institutes (Hsieh Hong 2000). This subject is of great interest in third world countries where there is large demand for Infrastructure development communication, drinking water, educational facilities, public distribution system, electricity, financial institutions, markets, medical facilities & public health, transport, veterinary services, recreation & tourism which is the major concern of developing nations.

The basis of the models can be explained when we consider that, there must be transportation or movement through the network which connect different resources and demands throughout an area. For example, when there are limited sites to collect and store agricultural products in a farming area or assignment of specified number of schools ...