Online Coordination Mechanism for Road Infrastructure Restoration using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to study two barriers of efficient road network restoration, namely, the lack of debris information and the lack of coordination among the restoration operations. We develop an integrative online optimization model with a model-based data diffusion component to coordinate three restoration-interdependent operations in the disaster response phases such as damage assessment, road recovery, and relief distribution. The model developed for the damage assessment operation controls the debris data diffusion speed in the integrative framework. This data is periodically shared with an online model developed to prioritize the recovery process for blocked roads. Road prioritization is done in a way to make the highest acceleration in the relief distribution operation. The integrative framework is tested on the road network of Miami-Dade and its performance is compared with an online heuristic benchmark mimicking the performance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.