USWFCA : An ArcGIS (10.1/10.2) Add-In tool to compute Enhanced Two-Step Floating Catchment Area accessibility scores
Abstract
This is an ArcGIS Add-in tool (versions 10.1/10.2) that facilitates easy computation of Enhanced Two-Step Floating Catchment Area accessibility scores. It requires an ArcGIS network dataset, and two point feature classes/shapefiles that represent the service supply and demand points. These may have a service capacity and demand capacity identified within their attribute tables, and the points must have their corresponding network dataset locations pre-computed using the ArcGIS toolbox. Several forms of distance-decay parameters may be selected. The add-in also computes some additional accessibility scores including distance to nearest facility and number of facilities present within the FCA threshold distance/time that is specified. This tool is provided "as-is" without the offer of technical support and currently there is not an instruction manual (although hopefully the interface is reasonably intuitive). It has been programmed using ArcObjects/Visual Studio/VisualBasic.NET by Dr Mitchel Langford and Dr Richard Fry. Additional tool installation and usage guidance is available for download.
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... This suggests the 15-minute threshold is an appropriate choice. E2SFCA scores were computed using a bespoke ArcGIS plug-in tool (Langford et al., 2014). Figure 1 shows the locations of public libraries in Wales as of October 2018, based on publicly available sources. ...
This paper demonstrates the applicability of GIS tools for investigating the implications of changes in public service provision following a prolonged period of economic austerity in the UK. Using the example of geographical accessibility to public library service points in Wales, levels of provision are estimated for two cross‐sections in time to gain an understanding of the potential implications of changes in service delivery models. Accessibility scores for small areas, generated using sophisticated floating catchment area (FCA) methods, enable complex spatial interactions between library service capacity and potential demand to be evaluated within realistic geographical service areas. Extending these models, we demonstrate how indicators of library service “quality” can be incorporated into access measures using the example of library operating hours for sites in three bordering Welsh local authorities, each of which have experienced differing policy responses to library service reconfiguration. Overall, the level of geographical accessibility to public library provision in Wales was found to have declined, on average, between 2011 and 2018, coinciding with a notable reduction in public library funding over the same period. While this finding is not unexpected, given an overall decrease in public library service points, this study reveals spatial inequalities in provision with areas of declining provision coinciding with pockets of greater economic deprivation. From a policy perspective, this paper demonstrates how network‐based GIS tools can aid scenario/sensitivity modelling to inform public service decision‐making processes. Our future research will extend these techniques to examine the implications of service reconfiguration strategies on potentially disadvantaged groups such as the elderly and the unemployed who rely on public libraries for access to e‐government and broader IT services.
... This step allocates available ES to population, by deriving the share of the ES that falls within the catchment of each population. E2SFCA was executed with the ESRI ArcGIS Desktop and USWFCA (Enhanced Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Accessibility Add-In tool) (Langford et al., 2014). To keep the origin-destination matrix in reasonable size and spatial resolution at needed accuracy in computations, the NUTS3 was selected for reference scale. ...
Human welfare is dependent on the availability of ecosystem services (ESs). There is an urgent need to explore the balance between ES production and consumption areas to ensure the sustainable use of the natural capital. Here, we present a spatial accessibility analysis to explicitly evaluate the balance between ES supply and demand across Europe. We used a central food product (crop) as an example of provisioning ES, where transportation is required to satisfy the demand. Our results show large differences in a country’s ability to produce food in relation to its demand, leading to significant risks of over- and underproduction on a regional scale. An ecosystem’s capacity to provide services exceeded especially in the middle of Europe. The majority of the countries would benefit significantly by balancing the supply and demand at international level, even at close distances. Our results demonstrate how the situation in Europe can change if the international distribution of the food ES is prevented. By using a state-of-the-art accessibility method instead of commonly used overlay analysis, it is possible to identify where to invest in transportation and enhance natural capacity to respond to the possible changes in food production or the growing demand of food energy.
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