Calculating humanitarian response capacity
Name
858278023-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
11.28 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1c8ce5506936c271d08f3dc23da595f4
Author(s)
Nishimura, Kathryn K. (Kathryn Kimie)
Wang, Jian
Advisor(s)
Jarrod Goentzel and Jason Acimovic.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Since the year 2000, at least 300 disasters occurred annually, catching more than 100 million people unprepared and in need of international assistance every year. The United Nations operates five humanitarian response depots (UNHRDs), stocked with over 1,000 types of humanitarian relief items. In the event of an emergency, the UNHRDs deploy the pre-positioned stocks to meet the initial demand of those people affected. Our thesis evaluates the response capacity of the UNHRDs to a single potential disaster: what percentage of total affected people can be served and in what time period. Developed from a stochastic linear programming model, this two-part index assumes that the depots operate as a network, lead times are proportional to distances from depots, and stockpiles are optimized individually for each relief item. Given a specific level of initial inventory for each item, the model also provides insight into how to distribute relief items throughout the five depots to minimize the expected delivery time. Based on a marginal benefit analysis, each unit of inventory is allocated to a depot to minimize the total expected delivery times to disasters. We describe how the UNHRDs and other humanitarian relief organizations can strategically pre-position limited emergency relief resources to maximize their capacity to respond to disasters.
Description
Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-65).
Subjects
Engineering Systems Division.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
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