The integration of GIS location‐based APIs and urban growth modeling for improved geographic access to hospital services

This article aims to present an integration model of GIS with open data sourced from application programming interface (API) as a solution for the location set covering problem (LSCP) with an urban land dynamics model. The development of GIS which is increasingly advanced makes traditional GIS transition in the open data era to become more modern. One of the benefits is to help urban planners in determining the allocation of health facilities such as hospitals. This research takes the case of hospital service coverage during emergencies, especially during the COVID‐19 extraordinary event in Metropolitan Semarang, Indonesia. In addition to utilizing API‐base Location, the model process also uses a Cellular Automata‐based land use prediction model. Thus, the facility location plan not only considers service coverage but also land use growth which is a reflection of population growth. To analyze the problem of inequity of hospital services, this research combined the location‐based APIs‐based service area model with the urban growth model to evaluate the existing condition and predict the future of hospital service demand. It also uses the emergency standard with a maximum service distance of 1500 m and a maximum travel time of 7 min. The model confirmed that there are still critical spots not served by hospitals in Semarang City. According to the concept of health and place, it is essential to recommend adding two hospitals in unserved areas so that services are more evenly distributed in the future, especially in emergencies.