Distribution of Humanitarian Aid Through Different Clustering Strategies Using Optimization

Abstract

Natural disasters produce enormous human and material losses. This is amplified if there is poor relief aid humanitarian distribution. Logistics seeks to obtain efficiencies related to response reducing transportation costs; according to humanitarian institutions, they constitute the second largest general expense after labor. Humanitarian distribution challenges are reduce costs, maintaining distribution service, and designing reliable delivery routes in a context where infrastructures may be non-existent, unavailable, or inoperative. This chapter addresses the problem of optimizing the distribution of humanitarian aid by comparing different clustering strategies for the medicines warehouse in charge of the national hospital services entity in Metropolitan Lima and Callao. The chapter is organized as follows. First, a review of the literature on problem of vehicle routing for resilient networks are presented. Then the proposed model will be shown considering those limitations to humanitarian delivery in a post-disaster context; finally, feasible solutions will be compared.