Which analytic approach is used to plan asset deployment in at-risk areas to minimize response times?

• A. Prescriptive optimization models
• B. Descriptive analytics
• C. Predictive modeling
• D. Diagnostic analysis

Answer: (A)

Planning asset deployment to minimize response times relies on turning data into actionable decisions. Prescriptive optimization models do exactly this: they take the goal—lowest possible response time or best coverage—and search for the best deployment plan that achieves it within real-world limits like budget, vehicle capacity, and geography. They set up an objective function to minimize (or maximize) a measure such as travel time or service distance and apply constraints that reflect the available resources and constraints of the system. The result is a concrete plan—which facilities to locate, how many units to allocate, and how to position or route them—to achieve the fastest responses.

Descriptive analytics would summarize past responses, predictive modeling would forecast future demand, and diagnostic analysis would explain past performance. None of these directly produce the actionable deployment recommendations that prescriptive optimization provides.