Research Directions in Information Systems for Humanitarian Logistics

This article systematically reviews the literature on using IT (Information Technology) in humanitarian logistics focusing on disaster relief operations. We first discuss problems in humanitarian relief logistics. We then identify the stage and disaster type for each article as well as the article’s research methodology and research contribution. Finally, we identify potential future research directions

Assessing vulnerability and modelling assistance: using demographic indicators of vulnerability and agent-based modelling to explore emergency flooding relief response

Flooding is a significant concern for much of the UK and is recognised as a primary threat by most local councils. Those in society most often deemed vulnerable: the elderly, poor or sick, for example, often see their level of vulnerability increase during hazard events. A greater knowledge of the spatial distribution of vulnerability within communities is key to understanding how a population may be impacted by a hazard event. Vulnerability indices are regularly used – in conjunction with needs assessments and on-the-ground research – to target service provision and justify resource allocation. Past work on measuring and mapping vulnerability has been limited by a focus on income-related indicators, a lack of consideration of accessibility, and the reliance on proprietary data. The Open Source Vulnerability Index (OSVI) encompasses an extensive range of vulnerability indicators supported by the wider literature and expert validation and provides data at a sufficiently fine resolution that can identify vulnerable populations. Findings of the OSVI demonstrate the potential cascading impact of a flood hazard as it impacts an already vulnerable population: exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities, limiting capabilities and restricting accessibility and access to key services. The OSVI feeds into an agent-based model (ABM) that explores the capacity of the British Red Cross (BRC) to distribute relief during flood emergencies using strategies based upon the OSVI. A participatory modelling approach was utilised whereby the BRC were included in all aspects of the model development. The major contribution of this work is the novel synthesis of demographics analysis, vulnerability mapping and geospatial simulation. The project contributes to the growing understanding of vulnerability and response management within the NGO sector. It is hoped that the index and model produced will allow responder organisations to run simulations of similar emergency events and adjust strategic response plans accordingly

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Humanitarian Assistance: A Meta-Analysis

Every year natural and man-made disasters cause mass population displacement, loss of lives, and human suffering. On a given disaster several international or non-profit organizations will respond depending on the region in need as well as media and donor attention Olsen, Gorm Rye, et al (2003). Because of the extreme unique difficulties found in each disaster zone such as infrastructural damages, uncertain demand and supply, geographical challenges and time pressures, it is imperative that humanitarian organizations have readily available and applicable response methodologies as well as information technologies to increase their relief impact. In regards to the latter Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has proven to be an indispensable tool in the humanitarian sector. However, despite there being great recognition in regards to the importance of geospatial information in relief operations there is still a knowledge gap in regards to all the different tasks and uses of GIS in the humanitarian sector. For example, Espindola et al (2016) lament that despite the recent increase in literature which utilizes GIS for humanitarian logistics most of the research is limited to net-work analysis and also that GIS’s full potential for disaster relief has not been fully tapped. This meta-analysis, for the first time, seeks to address such gap of knowledge by achieving two main goals: (1) To better understand the various ways in which Geographic Information System (GIS) can be applied in humanitarian settings by revealing how the academic community is utilizing such technology in their research, and (2) to point out strengths and areas that have been overlooked as well as help guide future research in this field

The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Issue 11.2 (2008)

Focus: The Middle East and North Africa } Feature: The Environmental Impact of Demining | Notes from the Field | Research and Developmen

The impact of digital technology on health of populations affected by humanitarian crises: Recent innovations and current gaps

Digital technology is increasingly used in humanitarian action and promises to improve the health and social well-being of populations affected by both acute and protracted crises. We set out to (1) review the current landscape of digital technologies used by humanitarian actors and affected populations, (2) examine their impact on health and well-being of affected populations, and (3) consider the opportunities for and challenges faced by users of these technologies. Through a systematic search of academic databases and reports, we identified 50 digital technologies used by humanitarian actors, and/or populations affected by crises. We organized them according to the stage of the humanitarian cycle that they were used in, and the health outcomes or determinants of health they affected. Digital technologies were found to facilitate communication, coordination, and collection and analysis of data, enabling timely responses in humanitarian contexts. A lack of evaluation of these technologies, a paternalistic approach to their development, and issues of privacy and equity constituted major challenges. We highlight the need to create a space for dialogue between technology designers and populations affected by humanitarian crises

On the dynamic inventory routing problem in humanitarian logistics: a simulation optimization approach using agent-based modeling

80 páginasIn the immediate aftermath of any disaster event, operational decisions are made to relieve the affected population and minimize casualties and human suffering. To do so, humanitarian logistics planners should be supported by strong decision-making tools to better respond to disaster events. One of the most important decisions is the delivery of the correct amount of humanitarian aid in the right moment to the right place. This decision should be made considering the dynamism of the disaster response operations where the information is not known beforehand and vary over time. For instance, the effect of the Word-of-Mouth and shortages in distribution points’ demand can impact the operational decisions. Therefore, the inventory and transportation decisions should be made constantly to better serve the affected people. This work presents a simulation-optimization approach to make disaster relief distribution decisions dynamically. An agent-based simulation model solves the inventory routing problem dynamically, considering changes in the humanitarian supply chain over the planning horizon. Additionally, the inventory routing schemes are made using a proposed mathematical model that aims to minimize the level of shortage and inventory at risk (associated to the risk of losing it). The computational proposal is implemented in the ANYLOGIC and CPLEX software. Finally, a case study motivated by the 2017 Mocoa-Colombia landslide is developed using real data and is presented to be used in conjunction with the proposed framework. Computational experimentations show the impact of the word-of-mouth and the frequency in decision making in distribution points’ shortages and service levels. Therefore, considering changes in demand over the planning horizon contributes to lowering the shortages and contributes to making better distributions plans in the response phase of a disaster.Después de la ocurrencia de cualquier desastre se deben tomar decisiones para aliviar a la población afectada minimizando las pérdidas humanas y el sufrimiento. Para ello, los responsables de la logística humanitaria deben contar con robustas herramientas para tomar decisiones acertadas que respondan adecuadamente ante esos eventos. Una de las decisiones más importantes es la entrega de ayuda humanitaria en el lugar, las cantidades y en el momento correcto. La anterior decisión debe ser tomada teniendo en cuenta el dinamismo de las operaciones de respuesta humanitaria en donde la información no es conocida de antemano y varía en el tiempo. Por ejemplo, el efecto del Voz a Voz y la escasez en los puntos de distribución de ayuda humanitaira pueden impactar las decisiones operacionales. Es por lo anterior, que las decisiones de transporte de ayuda humanitaria deben ser realizadas constantemente para servir de una mejor forma a la población afectada. Este trabajo presenta una propuesta de simulación-optimización para tomar las decisiones de ruteo de inventario de ayuda humanitaria de forma dinámica. A través de un modelo de simulación basado en agentes se resuelve dinámicamente el problema de ruteo de inventario considerando cambios en la cadena de suministro humanitaria. Adicionalmente, las decisiones de ruteo de inventario son tomadas mediante un modelo matemático propuesto que busca minimizar el nivel de inventario en riesgo y el nivel de escases simultáneamente. La propuesta computacional es implementada en los programas ANYLOGIC y CPLEX. Finalmente mediante un caso de estudio basado en la catastrofe de Mocoa-Colombia en 2017 se evaluará la propuesta. Experimentos computacionales muestran el impacto del voz-a-voz y frecuencia de toma de decisiones en la escasez y el nivel de servicio en los puntos de distribución. Por lo tanto, considerar cambios en la demanda contribuye a disminuir la escasez y hacer mejores esquemas de distribución de ayuda humanitaria.Maestría en Diseño y Gestión de ProcesosMagíster en Diseño y Gestión de Proceso

Logistics and decision chains in disaster management; Floods in Austria / Case simulation: Krems-Mautern an der Donau

The main purpose of this final master thesis is to analyse the analysis of the chain of decisions concerning a disaster situation as well as its consequences. Furthermore, the logistical issues concerning resource distribution in case of a flooding event are investigated. A particular disaster event situated in Lower Austria is used, due to the fact that the final master thesis is developed in Austria. Concerning this main objective, the study begins at an international level, where cooperation and coordination of several organizations are studied, to focus afterwards on Austrian organization. A case study is conducted to compare practice and guidelines regarding the main decision chains. In addition to this, a hypothetical situation is generated in terms of deciding and finding out which the best logistical decision is as far as it concerns the satisfaction of the population. The main objective is to reduce the number of unsatisfied customers to the minimum and to guarantee the minimum stocks to the local distribution centres. This operation is restricted to a limited governmental budget. Therefore, it is necessary to explain all the cooperating and coordinating organizations involved in a disaster situation. The simulation and subsequent conclusions are carried out with the simulation software AnyLogic. The simulation problem has not only the restriction of the available budget bounded to the supplying chain, but also technical (resources, trucks) constraints. The main objective is to minimize the number of unsatisfied people in the area. The final master thesis is developed with the collaboration of the BOKU University (University of Natural Resources and Life Science) of Vienna, in particular with the Institute of Production and Logistics. In contrast to the first theoretical part, the simulation offers a very wide range of possibilities to model different scenarios. It is a very dynamic and interesting procedure, capable itself to give important results. In this final master thesis, four different scenarios are simulated, implying each of them different constraints. In each of the scenarios the total demand of each store is given as well as the number of total satisfied customers and units in stock. Furthermore, the results obtained are very useful to get quite an exact approach to the real situation of a flood. In addition to this, technical parameters like the needed stock to satisfy the demand or the optimal number of trucks to ship stock are established. All the results are compared within different graphics and charts, finding out the best solution in each simulated scenario. In summary, and due to the lack of studies around this topic, this document becomes very interesting and a useful tool to start within the study of natural hazards.Ingeniería IndustrialIndustria Ingeniaritz

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Toward an integrated disaster management approach: How artificial intelligence can boost disaster management

Technical and methodological enhancement of hazards and disaster research is identified as a critical question in disaster management. Artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as tracking and mapping, geospatial analysis, remote sensing techniques, robotics, drone technology, machine learning, telecom and network services, accident and hot spot analysis, smart city urban planning, transportation planning, and environmental impact analysis, are the technological components of societal change, having significant implications for research on the societal response to hazards and disasters. Social science researchers have used various technologies and methods to examine hazards and disasters through disciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary lenses. They have employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis strategies. This study provides an overview of the current applications of AI in disaster management during its four phases and how AI is vital to all disaster management phases, leading to a faster, more concise, equipped response. Integrating a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) into disaster management enables higher planning, analysis, situational awareness, and recovery operations. GIS and RS are commonly recognized as key support tools for disaster management. Visualization capabilities, satellite images, and artificial intelligence analysis can assist governments in making quick decisions after natural disasters

Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen Activity Report 2002.

Abstract not availableJRC.G-Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (Ispra