Locational analysis of infrastructural facilities in selected oil and non–oil producing areas of Akwa İbom State

Abstract

Location influences Infrastructural facilities' importance, efficiency, and performance. This study involves locational analysis of infrastructural facilities in twenty purposively selected oil and non-oil producing rural communities of Akwa-Ibom State. Coordinates of infrastructural facilities were acquired using a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) device. Network analysis, infrastructure conformity assessment, and the minimize impedance analysis were carried out using ArcGIS. Results indicated that both oil and non-oil producing regions are within the service area of educational and water facilities, each having seven communities within the commercial infrastructure service area. Most oil-producing regions were within the service area of health facilities, while most non-oil producing areas were within the service area of small-scale industries. The infrastructure conformity assessment showed that 97% of infrastructures in the oil-producing regions were within the optimal location zones while 85% of infrastructure in non-oil producing areas were optimally located. Also, 21.3% and 17.6% of all infrastructures were closest to demand in the oil and non-oil producing regions, respectively. Ability to operationalize coverage issues and use location-allocation modeling optimally was demonstrated. The paper recommends enhanced infrastructure investment in areas outside infrastructure service areas and the use of location-allocation models in service provision to promote equity and spatial balance.