Location Selection of the Welfare Institution for the Elderly in Nagasaki City Using GIS

Japan is one of the countries where the number of the elderly people is most rapidly increasing. This study aims to locate the suitable areas for the lodgings of elderly people, using Geographical Information System (GIS). We focused on the areas where the residents can live a usual and customary life, which includes walking, shopping, hospitalizing etc. Combining the geographical and municipal data along with some other information obtained from social factors, we performed selection of the optimal locations for welfare institutions. Out of 413 areas within Nagasaki City three different areas were found suitable for such elderly people lodging.