Title: A comprehensive review of approaches used for solving tele-centre location allocation problem in geographical plane

Authors: Rajan Gupta; Sunil K. Muttoo; Saibal K. Pal

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematical Science, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, India ' Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematical Science, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, India ' Scientific Analysis Group (SAG) Lab, DRDO, Metcalfe House, Delhi-110054, India

Abstract: Setup of tele-centre is the worldwide approach for the establishment of information and communication technology infrastructure in rural areas for the overall development of a country. It is a key resource under e-governance plan in any country, but a major problem with their location allocation is the sustainability. Tele-centre establishment require a suitable location to increase the beneficial effect to service seekers. In this research, multi-faceted problems faced by tele-centres are highlighted. This paper presents a comprehensive study on tele-centre's location allocation problem and all the recent development in multi-facility location problem research area through more than 150 research papers from high ranked peer-reviewed journals. The research survey examines all the important parameters for the facility location problem and an objective function is also formulated for the same. Based on the survey literature, it is found that the new allocation methods based on meta-heuristic algorithms are emerging. This study would be a useful contribution in the field of location science, tele-centre location allocation and application of meta-heuristic algorithms in e-governance.

Keywords: tele-centres; location allocation; common service centres; CSCs; rural kiosks; meta-heuristic algorithms; e-governance; geographical plane; ICT for rural region.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2021.113503

International Journal of Operational Research, 2021 Vol.40 No.2, pp.200 - 238

Accepted: 02 Jun 2018
Published online: 09 Mar 2021 *

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