On the combination of water emergency wells and mobile treatment systems: a case study of the city of Berlin

A shortage of water leads to severe consequences for populations. Recent examples like the ongoing water shortage in Kapstadt or in Gloucestershire in 2007 highlight both the challenges authorities face to restore the water supply and the importance of installing efficient preparedness measures and plans. This study develops a proactive planning approach of emergency measures for possible impairments of water supply systems and validates this with a case study on water contamination in the city of Berlin. We formulate a capacitated maximal covering problem as a mixed-integer optimization model where we combine existing emergency infrastructure with the deployment of mobile water treatment systems. The model selects locations for mobile water treatment systems to maximize the public water supply within defined constraints. With the extension to a multi-objective decision making model, possible trade-offs between the water supply coverage and costs, and between the coverage of differently prioritized demand points are investigated. Therefore, decision makers benefit from a significantly increased transparency regarding potential outcomes of their decisions, leading to improved decisions before and during a crisis

A Systematic Review of Performance Enhancement of Humanitarian Logistics through Transparency: Current Status and Perspectives

The mechanism of how transparency can help to enhance the performance of humanitarian logistics (HL) following disaster relief operation (RO) needs to be explored. Thus, the main purposes of this paper are to systematically review the barriers to and benefits of transparency in the field of HL in order to improve the performance of HL, and also to highlight the role and unique attributes of transparency in the field of HL. A systematic literature review using the CIMO (context, intervention, mechanism, and outcomes) logic approach was adopted to perform the systematic analysis of the previous investigations relevant to the performance enhancement of HL. Most such previous research investigated transparency in the context of HL, with little examination of the outcomes of transparency in HL. Based upon this process, disaster risk can be reduced and managed through efficient HL. So far, the efficiency and performance of HL has been improved through coordination, collaboration and partnership. In the present study, recent developments corresponding to performance enhancement of HL through transparency are reviewed systematically, with a particular focus on the importance of transparency, what organizations can do to become more transparent and the challenges and potential benefits of transparency. The authors provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers and challenges to transparency faced in this field. Furthermore, the challenges in comparing with recent research are also discussed, along with future directions to improve the performance enhancement of HL through transparency. However, the poor performance of HL is one of the challenging issues associated with disaster risk management. This review article will be fruitful for novice researchers and practitioners in managing disaster risk through efficient HL and further advancement in the field of HL. Furthermore this article raises the awareness of the importance of carefully evaluating decisions related to the fair distribution of relief items

Metrics for the Naval Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations

Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations are part of the Cooperative Strategy for the 21st Century Seapower of the United States (U.S.). In this research, we further investigate, through literature survey, whether any metrics can be defined and developed to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of HADR operations. Such measurement will be instrumental in successfully following a fundamental principle: ﾓIf we are going to do HADR anyway, then why not do it smartly.ﾔ In the past 2-3 decades, the United States Navy (USN) has been the active and principal supplier of disaster relief due to its many unique and critical capabilities (Apte, Yoho, Greenfield, & Ingram, 2013; Apte, Goncalves, & Yoho, 2016). Whether this effort will continue and be sustained in an environment of fiscal austerity and budget cuts is not given. Therefore, it is critical to identify resources the USN possesses, due to its core competencies and capabilities, that support humanitarian logistics, and to understand the USNﾒs readiness level to utilize these resources in the best possible way. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) can rapidly respond to disasters because it maintains high levels of readiness on a constant basis. The USMC provides critical resources for these missions through their Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs), which are flexible and adaptable enough to accomplish a wide range of operations, including non-combat missions (Apte & Yoho, 2014). Given the recent frequency of disasters around the world, it is probable that the occurrence of these events will continue, thus creating a demand for the relief capabilities. The MEUs have flexible and adept forces that can be deployed to austere environments while meeting urgent timelines (USMC, 2009).Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Progra

A Geographic Database Design for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response

The international humanitarian assistance community responds to a wide variety of crises and disasters that are challenging in their variability, scale, timelines, resources, and politics. The implementation of a geographic database model, or Geodatabase, of geographic information resources will provide emergency responders with a functional relational database to support disaster response missions. The Geodatabase will be compact and deployable, improve functionality and efficiency, reduce error, increase standardization, and record an institutional knowledge base. Distributing the Geodatabase model in the form of a WebGIS website can additionally facilitate organizational communication and decision-making during the phases of emergency management by providing a thematic attribute query search capability. This Project will serve as a proof-of-concept design for future potential implementation and enhancement of the recommended models. The December 26, 2004 tsunami disaster in Indonesia and the surrounding region is the primary study area for this project. The recommendations outlined in this Project will help to support the initial data delivery steps of future humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions

Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

The Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms sets forth standard US military and associated terminology to encompass the joint activity of the Armed Forces of the United States. These military and associated terms, together with their definitions, constitute approved Department of Defense (DOD) terminology for general use by all DOD components

Facility Location Planning in Relief Logistics: Decision Support for German Authorities

The delivery of essential goods to beneficiaries in the aftermath of a disaster is one of the main objectives of relief logistics. Thereby, the present work aims to improve relief logistics by improving the location selection of warehouses, distribution centers, and points of distribution. Consequently, it offers the potential to significantly improve the distribution of goods in the aftermath of future disasters and, thereby, increase disaster resilience

Facility Location Planning in Relief Logistics: Decision Support for German Authorities

Disasters have devastating impacts on societies, affecting millions of people and businesses each year. The delivery of essential goods to beneficiaries in the aftermath of a disaster is one of the main objectives of relief logistics. In this context, selecting suitable locations for three different types of essential facilities is central: warehouses, distribution centers, and points of distribution. The present dissertation aims to improve relief logistics by advancing the location selection process and its core components. Five studies published as companion articles address substantial aspects of relief logistics. Despite the case studies\u27 geographical focus on Germany, valuable insights for relief logistics are derived that could also be applied to other countries. Study A addresses the importance of public-private collaboration in disasters and highlights the significance of considering differences in resources, capabilities, and strategies when using logistical models. Moreover, power differences, information sharing, and partner selection also play an important role. Study B elaborates on the challenges to identify candidate locations for warehouses, which are jointly used by public and private actors, and suggests a methodology to approach the collaborative warehouse selection process. Study C investigates the distribution center selection process and highlights that including decision-makers\u27 preferences in the objective function of location selection models helps to raise awareness of the implications of location decisions and increases transparency for decision-makers and the general population. Study D analyzes the urban water supply in disasters using a combination of emergency wells and mobile water treatment systems. Selected locations of mobile systems change significantly if vulnerable parts of the population are prioritized. Study E highlights the importance of accurate information in disasters and introduces a framework that allows determining the value of accurate information and the planning error due to inaccurate information. In addition to the detailed results of the case studies, four general recommendations for authorities are derived: First, it is essential to collect information before the start of the disaster. Second, training exercises or role-playing simulations with companies will help to ensure that planned collaboration processes can be implemented in practice. Third, targeted adjustments to the German disaster management system can strengthen the country\u27s resilience. Fourth, initiating public debates on strategies to prioritize parts of the population might increase the acceptance of the related decision and the stockpiling of goods for the people who know in advance that they will likely not receive support. The present dissertation provides valuable insights into disaster relief. Therefore, it offers the potential to significantly improve the distribution of goods in the aftermath of future disasters and increase disaster resilience

Modeling the values of private sector agents in multi-echelon humanitarian supply chains

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Humanitarian organizations (HOs) increasingly look to engage private sector supply chains in achieving outcomes. The right engagement approach may require knowledge of agents' preferences across multi-echelon supply chains to align private sector value creation with humanitarian outcomes. We propose a multi-attribute value analysis (MAVA) framework to elucidate such preferences. We formalize this approach and apply it in collaboration with a HO pilot aiming to facilitate better private sector availability of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Uganda. We demonstrate how HOs could use criteria weights and value functions from MAVA for project evaluation; in the process, we reveal business model insights for importers, distributors, and retailers in the pilot. We also show how MAVA facilitates the impact assessment of hypothetical options (i.e., combinations of products, services, and subsidies) to guide HO resource deployment. This paper offers the first attempt, to our knowledge, to develop quantitative measures for economic and non-economic objectives involving all agents in a multi-echelon supply chain, either humanitarian or commercial. We hope that this initial step stimulates further research to validate results and develop the framework proposed

An Investigation Into the Use of Geospatial Technologies as Part of Disaster Management Efforts Related to the Asian Tsunami of 2004

On the 26th of December, 2004, a tsunami impacted the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, immediately killing over two hundred and eighty thousand people, displacing another million people, and initially causing at least US$10 billion in damage. The response by the international community was swift and massive. Disaster decision-makers who led their organization\u27s responses to the tsunami used geospatial information to support their decision-making efforts with mixed success. When describing their use of geospatial technologies during the response, a select set of disaster decision-makers provided information about how they used geospatial information, they described what worked and what did not work to support their efforts. These disaster decision-makers\u27 revelations include the need for information about the affected persons, the location and status of relief supplies and other resources, and the conditions of the terrain affected by the tsunami. Corroborated by documents produced by governments, academia, nongovernmental and international organizations, these information requirements are the basis for a logical model for a geographic information system that can be used to support a variety of disaster types