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

Martijn Warnier,Tina Comes,Bartel Van De Walle,Vincent Alkema

doi:10.1007/s00291-020-00582-0

Martijn Warnier, Tina Comes + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00291-020-00582-0

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Journal: OR Spectrum	Publication Date: Mar 4, 2020
Citations: 12	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Delft University of Technology

Abstract

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 and inefficiency in planning and decision-making. The integration of data in near real time on the status of the road infrastructure in the affected region can help aid organisations to keep track of the rapidly shifting conditions on the ground and to assess the implications for their logistics planning and operations. In this paper, we present a rapid graph-theoretical reachability information system based on a combination of OpenStreetMap and open humanitarian data. The system supports logistics planning in determining road access to affected communities. We demonstrate the results of our approach in a case study on the 2018 earthquake in Papua New Guinea. Our findings show the reachability of affected communities depending on the actual status of the road network, allowing for the prioritization of targeted locations and the identification of alternative routes to get there.

Highlights

In the response to a humanitarian disaster, the international humanitarian community mobilises to cater for the most urgent humanitarian needs, such as provision of shelter, food, water and sanitation and healthcare
We present a rapid graph-theoretical reachability information system based on a combination of OpenStreetMap and open humanitarian data
Humanitarian logistics is about gaining access and ‘mobilising people, resources, skills and knowledge to help vulnerable people affected by disaster’ (Van Wassenhove 2006)

Summary

Introduction

In the response to a humanitarian disaster, the international humanitarian community mobilises to cater for the most urgent humanitarian needs, such as provision of shelter, food, water and sanitation and healthcare. In the early phase of a natural disaster, response organisations rush towards the still functioning seaports and airports that serve as entry points to reach the affected areas (Holguín-Veras et al 2012). Reaching people in need of assistance is key to effective disaster response. Entry points such as seaports and airports serve as hubs to offload goods, break bulks, package or assemble different goods to kits (Laguna-Salvadó et al 2018). To reach the people in need, the goods are further distributed. There is increasing attention for the use of humanitarian drones to distribute goods independently from (road) infrastructure, in medical applications (Comes et al 2018; Chowdhury et al 2017; Tatham et al 2017b). Road transportation remains the dominant mode of transportation, in particular to ship bulk goods, and the main mode considered in the humanitarian (last mile) distribution literature (Balcik et al 2008; Anaya-Arenas et al 2014)

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