Locating Search and Rescue Stations in the Aegean and Western Mediterranean Regions of Turkey

The service of present Search and Rescue (SAR) stations in the Aegean and the Western Mediterranean regions of Turkey are not sufficient to meet the demands of the Turkish Air Force. This research seeks to find the optimum location of new SAR stations. The number of SAR stations required to cover all areas of operation becomes a very decisive element in finding the optimal coverage of the operation area by these stations. The problem of finding the optimum SAR locations can he modeled as a maximal covering location problem (MCLP). Additional constraints are added to set standards on various issues in the regions. Main emphasis is to given to finding the minimum number of SAR locations that achieves maximum coverage in the operation area. Bonus values that indicate the importance of covering demand points are also included for analysis purposes. The model is coded and solved with an optimization software. The solution shows the location of SAR stations and the total coverage in the area based on the operational capacity of SAR units. Several scenarios are examined and the results are then analyzed and presented.Air Force Inst of Tech Wright-Patterson AFB OH is the author of 'Locating Search and Rescue Stations in the Aegean and Western Mediterranean Regions of Turkey', published 2000 under ISBN 9781423538318 and ISBN 1423538315.