An Analysis of Administrative Areas and Centres Used by Eight Human Service Agencies in Southern Ontario

Abstract

<p>This thesis describes the spatial arrangement of eight human service agencies for the case of Southern Ontario. Using the location of the administrative centres and the distribution of population, a measure of the compactness of each area is derived. This is the moment of inertia. The administrative centres are relocated within the areas currently used in such a way as to minimize the moment of inertia. This is the optimal location of the centre. By comparing the moment of inertia for the optimal location and moment of inertia for the actual location, an index of efficiency for each administrative unit is calculated. Using four variables a ranking of importance of administrative centres is provided. The approach is essentially quantitative.</p>