Analysis of the Provision of Public Educational Institutions in the City of Almaty

Abstract

The usefulness of spatial perspectives in educational research is well known, especially in areas such as school choice, which are implemented in various institutional, demographic, and local geographic regions. But spatial research methods, even if they can potentially be used in complex research strategies, tend to be fragmented and isolated, without taking into account numerous aspects of contextual factors.  The analysis of the coverage of educational institutions in the city using geographic information system (GIS) technologies involves an assessment of the spatial distribution of schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions in order to understand their accessibility to the population. Spatial data on the location of educational institutions within the city is collected based on data including addresses, types of educational institutions (for example, primary, secondary, higher education) and other relevant attributes. Buffer zones are created around each educational institution to represent service areas or catchment areas. The buffer distance can be based on factors such as walking distance or transport accessibility. The imposition of buffer zones of all educational institutions is focused on visualizing coverage throughout the city and the analysis can help identify areas with gaps or areas that are served by educational institutions with a higher frequency or with a longer interval. The analysis of population distribution overlays population data on the coverage map of an educational institution to assess the distribution of educational services in relation to the population. The identification of areas with high population density and limited coverage of educational institutions will allow to reorganize the approach to improving educational services on the ground. Given the long-term importance of education in urban society, scientists have carefully investigated the relationship between education and the dynamics of housing construction and their socio-spatial consequences.