Locating a circle on a sphere

We consider the problem of locating a spherical circle with respect to existing facilities on a sphere, such that the sum of distances between the circle and the facilities is minimized or such that the maximum distance is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and we give solution procedures.

When the circle to be located is restricted to be a great circle, some simplifications are possible. The models may be used in preliminary studies on the location of large linear facilities on the earth's surface, such as superhighways, pipelines, and transmission lines, or in totally different contexts such as search-and-rescue missions and medical or biological studies.