Many warehouses operate in the Gainesville area, and a study of warehouse layout problems is entirely feasible. Usually such a project is most suitable for American citizens, due to potential communication difficulties. Alternatively, find an interesting location problem and see if you can improve on the existing solution. The quickest way to learn something about a new topic of academic interest is to look for books and recent review papers in the area. Books tend to concentrate on more basic material than review papers, but may not be as current as recent review papers.
Review papers tend to be more specialized than books, but sometimes they can be quite general.
Below are listed some of the major books on location and layout, as well as principal review papers. Most of the literature relates to location, with the exception of the book by Tompkins and White, and the review paper by Kusiak and Heragu. R. Oldebourg Verlag, Munich, Germany. Drezner, Z. ed. Ghosh, A. and G. Rushton, eds.