• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.398-407
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• 2014

Shortages and delays in a humanitarian logistics system can contribute to the pain and suffering of survivors or other affected people. Humanitarian logistics budgets should be sufficient to prevent such shortages or delays. Unlike commercial supply chain systems, the budgets for relief supply chain systems should be able to satisfy demand. This study describes a comprehensive model in an effort to satisfy the total relief demand by minimizing logistics operations costs. We herein propose a strategic model which determines the locations of distribution centers and the total inventory to be stocked for each distribution center where a flood or other catastrophe may occur. The proposed model is formulated and solved as a mixed-integer programming problem that integrates facility location and inventory decisions by considering capacity constraints and time restrictions in order to minimize the total cost of relief operations. The proposed model is then applied to a real flood case involving 47 disaster areas and 13 distribution centers in Thailand. Finally, we discuss the sensitivity analysis of the model and the managerial implications of this research.

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

With a steep increase of the global disaster relief efforts around the world, the relief supply chain and humanitarian logistics play an important role to address this issue. A broad overview of operations research ranges from a principle or conceptual framework to analytical methodology and case study applied in this field. In this paper, we provide an overview of this challenging research area with emphasis on the corresponding optimization problems. The scope of this study begins with classification by the stage of the disaster lifecycle system. The characteristics of each optimization problem for the disaster supply chain are considered in detail as well as the logistics features. We found that the papers related to disaster relief can be grouped in three aspects in terms of logistics attributes: facility location, distribution model, and inventory model. Furthermore, the literature also analyzes objectives and solution algorithms proposed in each optimization model in order to discover insights, research gaps and findings. Finally, we offer future research directions based on our findings from the investigation of literature review.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2021

The topic of this study is the field of humanitarian logistics for disaster response. Many existing studies have revealed that compliance with the golden time in response to a disaster determines the success or failure of relief activities, and logistics costs account for 80% of the disaster response cost. Besides, the agility, responsiveness, and effectiveness of the humanitarian logistics system are emphasized in consideration of the disaster situation's characteristics, such as the urgency of life-saving and rapid environmental changes. In other words, they emphasize the importance of logistics activities in disaster response, which includes the effective and efficient distribution of relief supplies. This study proposes a mathematical model for establishing a transport plan to distribute relief supplies in a disaster situation. To determine vehicles' route and the amount of relief for cities suffering a disaster, it mainly considers the urgency, effectiveness (restoration rate), and uncertainty in the logistics system. The model is initially developed as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model containing some nonlinear functions and transform into a Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model using a logarithmic transformation and piecewise linear approximation method. Furthermore, a minimax problem is suggested to search for breakpoints and slopes to define a piecewise linear function that minimizes the linear approximation error. A numerical experiment is performed to verify the MILP model, and linear approximation error is also analyzed in the experiment.

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.336-350
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• 2013

This paper proposes a mathematical modeling-based approach for assessing disaster effects and selecting suitable mitigation alternatives to provide humanitarian relief (HR) supplies, shelter, rescue services, and long-term services after a disaster event. Mitigation steps, such as arrangement of shelter and providing HR items (food, water, medicine, etc.) are the immediate requirements after a disaster. Since governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing humanitarian aid need to know the requirements of relief supplies and resources for collecting relief supplies, organizing and initiating mitigation steps, a quick assessment of the requirements is the precondition for effective disaster management. Based on satellite images from weather forecasting channels, an area/dimension of the disaster-affected zones and the extent of the overall damage may often be obtained. The proposed approach then estimates the requirements for HR supplies, supporting resources, and rescue services using the census and other government data. It then determines reliable transportation routes, optimum collection and distribution centers, alternatives for resource support, rescue services, and long-term help needed for the disaster-affected zones. A numerical example illustrates the applicability of the model in disaster mitigation planning.