A <scp>GIS</scp> ‐Based Framework for Modeling Hospital Accessibility in Spain Using Open and Collaborative Data

ABSTRACT This study analyzes hospital accessibility in Spain at the census section level from 2010 to 2024. Using open data and open‐source tools, a replicable geospatial method was developed to estimate travel times and distances to the nearest hospital by car and on foot. Over 500,000 origin–destination pairs were analyzed, combining census centroids, OpenStreetMap hospital data, and road networks. Results show stark territorial disparities, especially in rural and inland areas, where travel times often exceed 30 min and sometimes surpass the “golden hour” critical for emergency care. While over 74% of the population lived within 15 min of a hospital in 2024, around 783,000 people still faced travel times over 1 hour. Accessibility has improved over time, with the share of critically underserved residents falling from 1.91% in 2010 to 1.62% in 2024. This reflects the possible impact of healthcare planning and infrastructure investments. The study provides a scalable, adaptable framework for analyzing access to essential services in other contexts. The resulting open dataset supports further research on spatial healthcare inequalities and informs data‐driven health and territorial policy decisions.