Title: Determining Optimal Police Patrol Areas…and More: a Research Program in Quantitative Human Geography

Abstract:  My research program is rooted in the Quantitative Revolution in Geography that began in the 1950s, and that has culminated in the broad acceptance and use of Geographic Information Systems. More specifically, my research lies in the use of quantitative methods to determine optimal facility locations. This sub-discipline of Geography is sometimes termed Location Science, and is associated with the methods that are used in Operations Research. In this talk I’ll present a range of the research projects that I have undertaken in Location Science and in quantitative human geography more broadly. These include the determination of optimal police patrol areas, the design of optimal transit routes, models for autonomous vehicle logistics, and more.