Improving the logistics and collaborative sensemaking during a disaster relief effort using a flexible floating and modular seaport: Investigating humanitarian logistics using a mathematical optimization model and a complex interaction research

Sometimes seaport capacity is a bottleneck during disaster relief operations. This research investigates a flexible, floating and modular seaport. This seaport is stored all around the world and when necessary it ships seaport handling capacity from those storage facilities to the disaster area in order to help with the disaster relief effort....

A methodology for developing evidence-based optimization models in humanitarian logistics

The growing need for humanitarian assistance has inspired an increasing amount of academic publications in the field of humanitarian logistics. Over the past two decades, the humanitarian logistics literature has developed a powerful toolbox of standardized problem formulations to address problems ranging from distribution to scheduling or...

Humanitarian access, interrupted: dynamic near real-time network analytics and mapping for reaching communities in disaster-affected countries

In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, local and international aid organisations deploy to deliver life-saving aid to the affected population. Yet pre-disaster road maps and road transportation models do not capture disruptions to the transportation network caused by the disaster or the dynamic changes of the situation, resulting in...

Uncertainty-Driven Policies for Resource Allocation in Epidemics Response

Humanitarians and global health actors come to the aid of many people every year, with the aim of preventing disease, increasing wellbeing, and providing (medical) aid to those suffering from disease. One of the contexts in which they operate is that of an epidemic. An epidemic is dynamic by nature and provides a complex and evolving environment...

Gaming as a research method in humanitarian logistics

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology for research through game design and discuss how simulation games can be used to bridge the gap between operational exercises and simulation or analytical modelling and to provide guidelines on how simulation games can be designed for different research purposes in the context of...

Quick Scan Humanitarian Logistics. Improving lead times for humanitarian intervention: A study of challenges, barriers and opportunities for Dutch NGOs

An increasing number of people are facing the consequences of volatile events around the globe, whether due to natural causes or man-made crises. To prevent further physical, psychological, social and economic collapse after such a critical event, fast and effective humanitarian interventions are needed. However, the mounting frequency and...

Bi-objective multi-layer location–allocation model for the immediate aftermath of sudden-onset disasters

Locating distribution centers is critical for humanitarians in the immediate aftermath of a sudden-onset disaster. A major challenge lies in balancing the complexity and uncertainty of the problem with time and resource constraints. To address this problem, we propose a location–allocation model that divides the topography of affected areas...

Forecast-driven facility location model for pre-positioning relief goods in preparation for strong typhoons

Weather forecast agencies periodically provide information on potential typhoon behavior from its formation to dissipation. This information can be used to pre-position relief goods in areas that are potentially affected by a strong incoming typhoon. The uncertainty of the typhoon behavior with respect to a point location decreases over time,...

Resilient airports: Using a new resilience measuring approach to evaluate policies that improve the resilience of airports in the immediate post-disaster response

Airports are a special critical infrastructure in a disaster response from a resilience point of view. They must overcome two types of shocks when they are affected by a disaster. They are not only hit by a disaster, which decreases their performances. Airports also need to act as a humanitarian and logistic hub for the disaster response which...

Increasing situational awareness in the golden period of the response phase of sudden-onset disasters by mapping community reachability

In the response phase of sudden-onset natural disasters, information is of crucial importance for relief organisations and their aid workers. Information is necessary for gaining situational awareness in a disaster for effective decision-making in response operations. In my research, an information system is designed that maps the reachability...

Helping the helpers: Evaluating the impact of logistics consulting in the humanitarian sector

In recent years, logistics emerged as a key function in the humanitarian sector. Data show that humanitarian organizations spend a consistent amount of their budgets for logistics and supply chain-related activities. Although their supply chains present a potential for improvement, humanitarian organizations often lack the internal skills and...

Towards designing and implementing an empirically grounded research for humanitarian logistics after nepal earthquake

Purpose This paper proposes a research design for effective use of qualitative data from field research in a quantitative analysis of humanitarian logistics. Design/methodology/approach Our research design is composed of qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative part has four steps: preparation, data collection, data combination...