Mapping inequality in access to resources in R : powerpoint + abstract

More equal access to the resources that sustain human well-being, such as education, employment and health services, underpins the equality agenda of 'leaving no one behind' established by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Accessibility can be defined as the ability to interact with locations that offer economic and social opportunities; better access usually means better opportunities and better livelihood outcomes. The accessibility of a particular location can be quantified in several ways: equity (i.e. proximity based on distance or travel time); coverage (i.e. the number of reachable resources per person), or; integration (i.e. the likelihood of interactions or the cost of transactions).

Spatial modelling of accessibility uses the geographic location of the population in relation to target locations and the transport means and infrastructure to access those locations. This presentation discusses (i) recent work on mapping equity in access in R using the gdistance package, (ii) options for mapping other access indicators in R and (iii) the importance of good, up to date and easy to use transport network data for accessibility mapping.