Interactive three-dimensional geovisualization of space-time access to food

A majority of literature about food deserts is focused on geographic access to food retailers by a buffered distance differentiating high and low access. An overlooked facet in this representation is that food acquisition is not only geographically dictated, but it is also temporally constrained. Food retailers invariably have limited opening hours that create a temporal restriction for shoppers. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) construct was proposed to delineate the limited food access to a retailer location across space and over its time of operation. Food retailer data in Columbus, OH, USA were collected for examining the variation of food access on both spatial and temporal scales. This study also employed the technique of interactive 3D modeling in a geographic information system (GIS) to visualize the food environment to delimit where and when food is accessible on a daily basis. The interactive 3D geovisualization (visualization of geographic information) of space-time access contributed to improving the representation of food environment and exploring the inequity of food access across space and over time. The development of this geovisualization context for food science studies could assist public health professionals and government stakeholders in understanding the effect of temporal access and improving food access for regions with limited operation hours in policy formulation.