OPTIC-ER: A Reinforcement Learning Framework for Real-Time Emergency Response and Equitable Resource Allocation in Underserved African Communities

arXiv:2508.12943v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Public service systems in many African regions suffer from delayed emergency response and spatial inequity, causing avoidable suffering. This paper introduces OPTIC-ER, a reinforcement learning (RL) framework for real-time, adaptive, and equitable emergency response. OPTIC-ER uses an attention-guided actor-critic architecture to manage the complexity of dispatch environments. Its key innovations are a Context-Rich State Vector, encoding action sub-optimality, and a Precision Reward Function, which penalizes inefficiency. Training occurs in a high-fidelity simulation using real data from Rivers State, Nigeria, accelerated by a precomputed Travel Time Atlas. The system is built on the TALS framework (Thin computing, Adaptability, Low-cost, Scalability) for deployment in low-resource settings. In evaluations on 500 unseen incidents, OPTIC-ER achieved a greater than 35% reduction in emergency response times and outperformed the 62.94% optimal-selection rate of the nearest-facility heuristic, confirming its robustness and generalisation. Beyond dispatch, the system generates Infrastructure Deficiency Maps and Equity Monitoring Dashboards to guide proactive governance and data-informed development. This work presents a validated blueprint for AI-augmented public services, showing how context-aware RL can bridge the gap between algorithmic decision-making and measurable human impact.

Abstract:Public service systems in many African regions suffer from delayed emergency response and spatial inequity, causing avoidable suffering. This paper introduces OPTIC-ER, a reinforcement learning (RL) framework for real-time, adaptive, and equitable emergency response. OPTIC-ER uses an attention-guided actor-critic architecture to manage the complexity of dispatch environments. Its key innovations are a Context-Rich State Vector, encoding action sub-optimality, and a Precision Reward Function, which penalizes inefficiency. Training occurs in a high-fidelity simulation using real data from Rivers State, Nigeria, accelerated by a precomputed Travel Time Atlas. The system is built on the TALS framework (Thin computing, Adaptability, Low-cost, Scalability) for deployment in low-resource settings. In evaluations on 500 unseen incidents, OPTIC-ER achieved a greater than 35% reduction in emergency response times and outperformed the 62.94% optimal-selection rate of the nearest-facility heuristic, confirming its robustness and generalisation. Beyond dispatch, the system generates Infrastructure Deficiency Maps and Equity Monitoring Dashboards to guide proactive governance and data-informed development. This work presents a validated blueprint for AI-augmented public services, showing how context-aware RL can bridge the gap between algorithmic decision-making and measurable human impact.

Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI); Computers and Society (cs.CY); Machine Learning (cs.LG)

arXiv:2508.12943 [cs.AI]

(or arXiv:2508.12943v3 [cs.AI] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.12943 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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OPTIC-ER: A Reinforcement Learning Framework for Real-Time Emergency Response and Equitable Resource Allocation in Underserved African Communities

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