A toolkit for ambulance dispatch and routing optimization using AI and GIS

Ambulance Response Time is one of the main key factors that affect both the incident handling outcome and the quality of service provided. SmartPLAIGO, a project funded by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), aims to optimize the handling of the Ambulance Fleet, resources allocation, and Communication Efficiency between EMS personnel, to improve the Ambulance Response. This paper focuses on one of the main objectives of SmartPLAIGO, which is to establish a comprehensive decision support Toolkit for Ambulance Dispatch and Routing. SmartPlugs processes live data such as traffic levels, the severity of incidents, and the availability of ambulances to enhance rapid decision making during dispatch operations of resources in a dynamic manner. The optimization engine is divided into two tiers: A priority-weighted mixed-integer-linear programming (MILP) that returns the optimal unit-to-patient assignments, and a sub-second tabu-search metaheuristic that maintains near-optimal quality when the number of incidents overwhelm MILP latency. These algorithms will be incorporated into the existing system AVARIS of the Cyprus Ambulance Services, to enhance it with decision support. Early simulations demonstrate promising results in four realistic scenarios, paving the way for the full development and deployment of the comprehensive solution within the Cyprus EMS.