Modeling and Solving Dynamic Maximal Covering Location Problem Considering Backup Services; Case Study of a Crisis Event in District 3 of Tehran

Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Industrial Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

In this research, we look at a dynamic maximal covering location problem, where the structure of the service-providing facilities consists of independent units that have the ability to move, and these units are called modules. The main goal of the problem is to provide maximum service to people who are in crisis and need basic help. The model of this problem first determines the location of the facilities, and with the occurrence of each crisis, according to the needs that are created in each demand area, the modules responding to the same needs are sent to the facilities of those areas and are deployed in the location, from which they are moved away after the task of delivering service ends.  The innovation in this paper is that the modules may become unavailable for any reason and cannot cover the demand assigned to them. For this reason, modules, in addition to providing main services to demand points, in case of failure of some of these modules and their unavailability, the surrounding modules can cover the demand of points that have been neglected by providing backup service and compensate for this deficiency, where the amount of main and backup demand that each module responds to is determined by the model. The main goal of this research is to assign the maximum amount of main and backup service to people who are in crisis, which is of utmost importance to the livelihood of these people. In this research, we first created a mathematical model of mixed integer linear programming. Afterwards, we conducted a case study on Tehran's third district, where all the factors and parameters related to the model were considered with special attention to the real conditions of the studied area. After introducing the model and parameters related to district three, we solved the model using GAMS software. Furthermore, we implemented Bender's decomposition algorithm as an ultimate solution to the model.  Finally, we performed a sensitivity analysis on some parameters of the model. We observed that the changes in the parameters affect the backup service more than the base service. 

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References
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Sabiza, H., 2024. Modeling of dynamic maximal covering location problem considering module breakdown. Unpublished master’s thesis. Faculty of Engineering Alzahra University. Tehran, Iran. [In Persian].