121 research outputs found

    Construcción de planes de restauración de vías orientados a facilitar operaciones de logística humanitaria

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    Disruptions in the transportation network are one of the hardest consequences of a disaster. They have the potential of hampering the performance of emergency aid organizations, reducing the opportunities of saving critical victims during response and recovery phases. The strategic restoration of road network implies the prioritization of those a ected roads whose rehabilitation would reduce travel times, allowing emergency relief vehicles, civilians and restoration machines to move faster through the network. Humanitarian Road Restoration Problem (HURREP) is a relatively new topic in comparison with other research topics on disaster management. In this study, we present a mathematical model which schedules and routes restoration machines and relief vehicles working in parallel on the same network. We adopt the minimization of weighted sum of attention times to communities as the objective function, seeking for a restoration plan totally dedicated to provide support to relief plan. Among other features, our methods are able to deal with di erent relief modes working in parallel, road disruptions that are naturally removed over time (e.g. by evaporation) and vehicle-dependent starting times. We also provided an heuristic algorithm able to solve large size instances of our problem in less than the 2.7% of the runtime limit suggested by the Administrative Department for Prevention, Attention, and Recovery from Disasters in Antioquia, Colombia (DAPARD). We validated the applicability of our methods on real world disaster scenarios through a study case based on the Mojana's oods occurred in northern Colombia on the 2010-2011.MaestríaMagister en Ingeniería Industria

    Optimization for Decision Making II

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    In the current context of the electronic governance of society, both administrations and citizens are demanding the greater participation of all the actors involved in the decision-making process relative to the governance of society. This book presents collective works published in the recent Special Issue (SI) entitled “Optimization for Decision Making II”. These works give an appropriate response to the new challenges raised, the decision-making process can be done by applying different methods and tools, as well as using different objectives. In real-life problems, the formulation of decision-making problems and the application of optimization techniques to support decisions are particularly complex and a wide range of optimization techniques and methodologies are used to minimize risks, improve quality in making decisions or, in general, to solve problems. In addition, a sensitivity or robustness analysis should be done to validate/analyze the influence of uncertainty regarding decision-making. This book brings together a collection of inter-/multi-disciplinary works applied to the optimization of decision making in a coherent manner

    A Comprehensive Survey on Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm and Its Applications

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    Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a heuristic global optimization method, proposed originally by Kennedy and Eberhart in 1995. It is now one of the most commonly used optimization techniques. This survey presented a comprehensive investigation of PSO. On one hand, we provided advances with PSO, including its modifications (including quantum-behaved PSO, bare-bones PSO, chaotic PSO, and fuzzy PSO), population topology (as fully connected, von Neumann, ring, star, random, etc.), hybridization (with genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, Tabu search, artificial immune system, ant colony algorithm, artificial bee colony, differential evolution, harmonic search, and biogeography-based optimization), extensions (to multiobjective, constrained, discrete, and binary optimization), theoretical analysis (parameter selection and tuning, and convergence analysis), and parallel implementation (in multicore, multiprocessor, GPU, and cloud computing forms). On the other hand, we offered a survey on applications of PSO to the following eight fields: electrical and electronic engineering, automation control systems, communication theory, operations research, mechanical engineering, fuel and energy, medicine, chemistry, and biology. It is hoped that this survey would be beneficial for the researchers studying PSO algorithms

    Introducing a novel multi-objective optimization model for volunteer assignment in the post-disaster phase: Combining fuzzy inference systems with NSGA-II and NRGA

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    Each year, disasters (natural or man-made) cause a lot of damage and take many people’s lives. In this situation, many volunteers come to help. While the proper management of volunteers is very effective in controlling the crisis, the lack of proper management of volunteers can create another crisis. Therefore, we introduce a model to deal with the volunteer assignment problem by considering two qualitative objective functions: The first one is minimizing the mean importance of Emergency Department (ED) centers’ unmet needs by volunteers, and the second one is minimizing the mean degree of unsatisfied preferences of selected volunteers. To evaluate the introduced qualitative indexes, two Fuzzy Inference Systems (FISs) are used to encapsulate decision makers’ knowledge as well as the human reasoning process. FISs are embedded in two evolutionary algorithms for solving the proposed model: Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and Non-Dominated Ranked Genetic Algorithm (NRGA). Also, 30 small-size problems, as well as 30 large-size problems, are randomly generated and solved by both metaheuristic algorithms. Using the obtained data, the performance of NSGA-II and NRGA is measured and compared based on four criteria: CPU Time, Number of Non-dominated Solutions (NNS), Mean Ideal Distance (MID), and Spacing Metric (SM). Statistical tests show that both algorithms have the same performance in small-size problems. However, in large-size problems, NSGA-II is faster, and NRGA produces more optimal solutions. The proposed model is flexible enough to adapt to different scenarios just by updating linguistic rules in FISs. Also, since employed algorithms produce a set of optimal solutions, decision-makers can easily choose the most appropriate solution among the Pareto front based on the circumstancesH2020-EU.1.3. – EXCELLEN

    Location-allocation models for relief distribution and victim evacuation after a sudden-onset natural disaster

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    Quick response to natural disasters is vital to reduce loss of and negative impact to human life. The response is more crucial in the presence of sudden-onset, difficult-to-predict natural disasters, especially in the early period of those events. On-site actions are part of such response, some of which are determination of temporary shelters and/ or temporary medical facility locations, the evacuation process of victims and relief distribution to victims. These activities of last-mile disaster logistics are important as they are directly associated with sufferers, the main focus of any alleviation of losses caused by any disaster. This research deals with the last-mile site positioning of relief supplies and medical facilities in response to a sudden-onset, difficult-to-predict disaster event, both dynamically and in a more coordinative way during a particular planning time horizon. Four mathematical models which reflect the situation in Padang Pariaman District after the West Sumatera earthquake were built and tested. The models are all concerned with making decisions in a rolling time horizon manner, but differ in coordinating the operations and in utilization of information about future resource availability. Model I is a basic model representing the current practice with relief distribution and victim evacuation performed separately and decisions made only considering the resources available at the time. Model II considers coordination between the two operations and conducts them with the same means of transport. Model III takes into account future information keeping the two operations separate. Model IV combines the features of Models II and III. The four models are approached both directly and by using various heuristics. The research shows that conducting relief distribution and victim evacuation activities by using shared vehicles and/or by taking into account future information on resource availability improves the current practice . This is clearly demonstrated by the experimental results on small problems. For large problems, experiments show that it is not practical to directly solve the models, especially the last three, and that the solution quality is poor when the solution process is limited to a reasonable time. Experiments also show that the heuristics help improve the solution quality and that the performances of the heuristics are different for different models. When each model is solved using its own best heuristic, the conclusions from results of large problems get very close to those from small problems. Finally, deviation of future information on resource availability is considered in the study, but is shown not to affect the performance of model III and model IV in carrying out relief distribution and victim evacuation. This indicates that it is always worthwhile to take into account the future information, even if the information is not perfect, as long as it is reasonably reliable

    Building Evacuation with Mobile Devices

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    In der Dissertation wird ein Konzept für ein Gebäudeevakuierungssystem vorgestellt, das es ermöglicht, Personen mit Hilfe mobiler Endgeräte im Evakuierungsfall aus einem Gebäude zu führen. Die Dissertation gliedert sich in drei thematische Bereiche, in denen zunächst ein Konzept für die Systemarchitektur vorgestellt wird und anschließend verschiedene Algorithmen zur Routenplanung sowie zur Lokalisierung der Geräte vorgestellt und evaluiert werden

    Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

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    Guiding readers through the basics of these rapidly emerging networks to more advanced concepts and future expectations, Mobile Ad hoc Networks: Current Status and Future Trends identifies and examines the most pressing research issues in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). Containing the contributions of leading researchers, industry professionals, and academics, this forward-looking reference provides an authoritative perspective of the state of the art in MANETs. The book includes surveys of recent publications that investigate key areas of interest such as limited resources and the mobility of mobile nodes. It considers routing, multicast, energy, security, channel assignment, and ensuring quality of service. Also suitable as a text for graduate students, the book is organized into three sections: Fundamentals of MANET Modeling and Simulation—Describes how MANETs operate and perform through simulations and models Communication Protocols of MANETs—Presents cutting-edge research on key issues, including MAC layer issues and routing in high mobility Future Networks Inspired By MANETs—Tackles open research issues and emerging trends Illustrating the role MANETs are likely to play in future networks, this book supplies the foundation and insight you will need to make your own contributions to the field. It includes coverage of routing protocols, modeling and simulations tools, intelligent optimization techniques to multicriteria routing, security issues in FHAMIPv6, connecting moving smart objects to the Internet, underwater sensor networks, wireless mesh network architecture and protocols, adaptive routing provision using Bayesian inference, and adaptive flow control in transport layer using genetic algorithms

    A system dynamics & emergency logistics model for post-disaster relief operations

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    Emergency teams’ efficiency in responding to disasters is critical in saving lives, reducing suffering, and for damage control. Quality standards for emergency response systems are based on government policies, resources, training, and team readiness and flexibility. This research investigates these matters in regards to Saudi emergency responses to floods in Jeddah in 2009 and again in 2011. The study is relevant to countries who are building emergency response capacity for their populations: analysing the effects of the disaster, communications and data flows for stakeholders, achieving and securing access, finding and rescuing victims, setting up field triage sites, evacuation, and refuges. The research problem in this case was to develop a dynamic systems model capable of managing real time data to allow a team or a decision-maker to optimise their particular response within a rapidly changing situation. The Emergency Logistics Centre capability model responds to this problem by providing a set of nodes relevant to each responsibility centre (Civil Defence, regional/local authority including rescue teams, police and clean-up teams, Red Crescent). These nodes facilitate information on resource use and replenishment, and barriers such as access and weather can be controlled for in the model. The dynamic systems approach builds model capacity and transparency, allowing emergency response decision-makers access to updated instructions and decisions that may affect their capacities. After the event, coordinators and researchers can review data and actions for policy change, resource control, training and communications. In this way, knowledge from the experiences of members of the network is not lost for future position occupants in the emergency response network. The conclusion for this research is that the Saudi emergency response framework is now sufficiently robust to respond to a large scale crisis, such as may occur during the hajj with its three million pilgrims. Researchers are recommended to test their emergency response systems using the Emergency Logistics Centre model, if only to encourage rethinking and flexibility of perhaps stale or formulaic responses from staff. This may lead to benefits in identification of policy change, training, or more appropriate pathways for response teams
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