Modelling vehicle routing in GIS

The field of vehicle routing has seen the development of a variety of mathematical techniques. While the practical application of these techniques has depended on the use of spatial information such as road networks, these techniques have developed independently of other users of spatial information. This paper argues that traditional routing techniques have neglected the importance of path constraints and that GIS approaches allow the modelling of an extended range of routing problems. The well-known taxonomy of routing problems by Bodin and Golden is extended to reflect the additional possibilities introduced by the use of GIS techniques. The paper concludes by suggesting that the synthesis of vehicle routing and GIS techniques in a spatial decision support system can greatly enhance the modelling of these problems.