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

Optimization of the long-term planning of supply chains with decaying performance

This master's thesis addresses the optimization of supply and distribution chains considering the effect that equipment aging may cause over the performance of facilities involved in the process. The decaying performance of the facilities is modeled as an exponential equation and can be either physical or economic, thus giving rise to a novel mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) formulation. The optimization model has been developed based on a typical chemical supply chain. Thus, the best long-term investment plan has to be determined given production nodes, their production capacity and expected evolution; aggregated consumption nodes (urban or industrial districts) and their lumped demand (and expected evolution); actual and potential distribution nodes; distances between the nodes of the network; and a time horizon. The model includes the balances in each node, a general decaying performance function, and a cost function, as well as constraints to be satisfied. Hence, the investment plan (decision variables) consists not only on the start-up and shutdown of alternative distribution facilities, but also on the sizing of the lines satisfying the flows. The model has been implemented using GAMS optimization software. Results considering a variety of scenarios have been discussed. In addition, different approaches to the starting point for the model have been compared, showing the importance of initializing the optimization algorithm. The capabilities of the proposed approach have been tested through its application to two case studies: a natural gas network with physical decaying performance and an electricity distribution network with economic decaying performance. Each case study is solved with a different procedure to obtain results. Results demonstrate that overlooking the effect of equipment aging can lead to infeasible (for physical decaying performance) or unrealistic (for economic decaying performance) solutions in practice and show how the proposed model allows overcoming such limitations thus becoming a practical tool to support the decision-making process in the distribution secto

A Web Based Optimization System Using Goal Programming for Supply Chain Network

Considering high competitive nature of todays industries,being on plan is very vital for supply chain network of an organization. Allthe flows of materials from initial suppliers to final customers need to besmooth. Hence, distribution network design is an important strategic decisionproblem for the supply chain managers. The aim of this research is to propose a web-based Decision Support System (DSS) foroptimizing fuzzy distribution network in the context of supply-chain management. A fuzzy goal-programming model has been designedfor the proposed DSS to consider the uncertain and imprecise data. Thisresearch focuses on four conflict fuzzy goals of (i). all demands must be covered by distribution center, (ii).investment goals for opening new sites considering fix costs, (iii). Investmentgoals for opening new distribution centers considering fix costs, (iv). Supplycosts goals, to meet the optimized results. Hence with those attributes ofmembership function of goals, the decision makers can apply this model toobtain the investment policy and the achieved level of each individual goal

A Three-Step Methodology to Improve Domestic Energy Efficiency

Increasing energy prices and the greenhouse effect lead to more awareness of energy efficiency of electricity supply. During the last years, a lot of technologies have been developed to improve this efficiency. Next to large scale technologies such as windturbine parks, domestic technologies are developed. These domestic technologies can be divided in 1) Distributed Generation (DG), 2) Energy Storage and 3) Demand Side Load Management. Control algorithms optimizing a combination of these techniques can raise the energy reduction potential of the individual techniques. In this paper an overview of current research is given and a general concept is deducted. Based on this concept, a three-step optimization methodology is proposed using 1) offline local prediction, 2) offline global planning and 3) online local scheduling. The paper ends with results of simulations and field tests showing that the methodology is promising.\u

Combining deep reinforcement learning and multi-stage stochastic programming to address the supply chain inventory management problem

We introduce a novel heuristic designed to address the supply chain inventory management problem in the context of a two-echelon divergent supply chain. The proposed heuristic advances the current state-of-the-art by combining deep reinforcement learning with multi-stage stochastic programming. In particular, deep reinforcement learning is employed to determine the number of batches to produce, while multi-stage stochastic programming is applied to make shipping decisions. To support further research, we release a publicly available software environment that simulates a wide range of two-echelon divergent supply chain settings, allowing the manipulation of various parameter values, including those associated with seasonal demands. We then present a comprehensive set of numerical experiments considering constraints on production and warehouse capacities under fixed and variable logistic costs. The results demonstrate that the proposed heuristic significantly and consistently outperforms pure deep reinforcement learning algorithms in minimizing total costs. Moreover, it overcomes several inherent limitations of multi-stage stochastic programming models, thus underscoring its potential advantages in addressing complex supply chain scenarios

The Systematization of Disturbances Act upon E-commerce Systems

There are many processes on Internet, on web servers, in ERP and company running an e-commerce system which can be influenced by disturbances. In order to minimize their impact it is necessary to identify and collect all disturbances, to determine their evaluation metric and to propose necessary remedies. Modifications proposed should be tested by means of modeling taking internal and external environment needs into consideration. Necessary information can be captured using the e-commerce system components monitoring. Particular system environment properties like company structure, system architecture, hardware, software, methods of connection with the supplier´s e-commerce system, customer communication interface are to be taken into account. Important social indicators like legislative and economic development, development of the global information society and others should also be considered. Disturbance and failure models can be designed using various methods like e.g. multi-agents modeling, simulations, fuzzy methods modeling etc. Generic ecommerce system model using control circuit as a fundamental notion can be used as a base for modeling.e-commerce system, disturbances, categorization of disturbances, modeling of disturbances, agent, simulation of disturbances

Reverse Logistics Network Design with a 3-Phase Interactive Intuitionistic Fuzzy Goal Programming Approach: A Case Study of Covid-19 in Pathum Thani, Thailand

During outbreaks, a vast quantity of Infected Medical Waste (IMW) can be substantially generated in a short period, which poses a massive risk to medical personnel and surrounding communities. This study proposes an Intuitionistic Fuzzy Multi-Objective Multi-Period Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (IFMOMILP) model for effective IMW management in outbreaks under uncertainty, considering financial and risk factors subject to a priority from Decision Makers (DMs). The primary emphasis is on determining the optimal locations and capacity levels for temporary facilities, including temporary storage and treatment centers, as well as the optimal transportation routes. A 3-phase interactive Intuitionistic Fuzzy Goal Programming (i-IFGP) approach is developed to solve this IFMOMILP model. First, the Jiménez approach is applied to handle the uncertainties. Then, the problem is solved by Intuitionistic Fuzzy Goal Programming (IFGP). An actual case study of the COVID-19 outbreak in Pathum Thani province in Thailand was carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The proposed approach yields solutions with varying feasibility degrees and scaling factors, providing alternatives for DMs. Then, the score function is utilized to imply DMs’ satisfaction with the outcomes, which is a concrete measure since it can reflect the intention of the DMs