Mathematical models improves location science

17 Jun 2002

Where should fire stations be located to make sure engines can respond anywhere in the city within 10 minutes? What's the lowest number of fire stations needed to provide this level of coverage? And if the nearest fire crew is occupied, how soon could a backup engine arrive? For more than a quarter of a century, Charles ReVelle has wrestled with questions such as these.

ReVelle a professor of geography and environmental engineering at The Johns Hopkins University, is one of the founders of a young discipline called location science. Instead of relying on guesswork or playing politics, ReVelle uses complex mathematics and powerful computers to propose locations for important public facilities. In recognition of his groundbreaking work, ReVelle was one of two scholars who recently received the first Lifetime Achievement Awards presented by the Section on Location Analysis of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.