Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A GRASP metaheuristic for humanitarian aid distribution

  • Published:
Journal of Heuristics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Large scale disasters, natural or human-made, have huge consequences on people and infrastructures. After a disaster strikes, the distribution of humanitarian aid to the population affected is one of the main operations to be carried out, and several crucial decisions must be made in a short time. This paper addresses a last-mile distribution problem in disaster relief operations, under insecure and uncertain conditions. A model is presented that takes into account the cost and time of operation, the security and reliability of the routes, and the equity of aid handed out. The output of the model consists of a detailed set of itineraries that can be used to build an implementable distribution plan. Given its high complexity, the resulting problem is solved using a multi-criteria metaheuristic approach. In particular, a constructive algorithm and a GRASP based metaheuristic are developed, which are tested in a case study based on the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. For additional details regarding the algorithms proposed in this paper, please contact the authors.

References

  • Balcik, B., Beamon, B.M.: Facility location in humanitarian relief. Int. J. Logist. Res. Appl. 11(2), 101–121 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bozorgi-Amiri, A., Jabalameli, M.S., Al-e Hashem, S.M.J.M.: A multi-objective robust stochastic programming model for disaster relief logistics under uncertainty. OR Spectr. 35, 905–933 (2013)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Feo, T., Resende, M.: A probabilistic heuristic for a computationally difficult set covering problem. Oper. Res. Lett. 8(2), 67–71 (1989)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Feo, T., Resende, M.: Greedy randomized adaptive search procedures. J. Global Optim. 6, 109–113 (1995)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer, J.M., Ortuño, M.T., Tirado, G., Vitoriano, B.: Heuristics for the design of safe humanitarian aid distribution itineraries. In: Mora, A., Squillero, G. (eds.) EvoApplications 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 9028, pp. 721–731. Springer, Heidelberg (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  • Festa, P., Resende, M.: Grasp: An annotated bibliography. In: Ribeiro, C., Hansen, P. (eds.) Essays and Surveys on Metaheuristics, pp. 325–367. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (2002)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, L.R., Fulkerson, D.R.: Maximal flow through a network. Canad. J. Math. 8(3), 399–404 (1956)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Greistorfer, P.: A tabu scatter search metaheuristic for the arc routing problem. Comput. Ind. Eng. 44(2), 249–266 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holguín-Veras, J., Pérez, N., Jaller, M., Van Wassenhove, L., Aros-Vera, F.: On the appropriate objective function for post-disaster humanitarian logistics models. J. Oper. Manag. 31, 262–280 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, K., Jiang, Y., Yuan, Y., Zhao, L.: Modeling multiple humanitarian objectives in emergency response to large-scale disasters. Transp. Res. Part E 75, 1–17 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, M., Smilowitz, K., Balcik, B.: Models for relief routing: equity, efficiency and efficacy. Transp. Res. Part E 48(1), 2–18 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kovács, G., Spens, K.M.: Humanitarian logistics in disaster relief operations. Int. J. Phys. Distrib. Logist. Manag. 37(2), 99–114 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolz, P., Doerner, K., Gutjahr, W., Hartl, R.: A bi-objective metaheuristic for disaster relief operation planning. In: Coello Coello, C., Dhaenens, C., Jourdan, L. (eds.) Advances in Multi-Objective Nature Inspired Computing, Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol. 272, pp. 167–187. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  • OCHA (2013) Ocha: Office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. http://ochaonline.un.org/ [date accesed 8 Jan 2013]

  • Ortuño, M., Tirado, G., Vitoriano, B.: A lexicographical goal programming based decision support system for logistics of Humanitarian Aid. TOP 19, 464–479 (2011)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Ortuño, M., Cristobal, P., Ferrer, J., Martin-Campo, F., Muñoz, S., Tirado, G., Vitoriano, B.: Decision aid models and systems for humanitarian logistics. A survey. In: Decision Aid Models for Disaster Management and Emergencies, Atlantis Computational Intelligence Systems, pp. 17–44. Springer, New York (2012)

  • Ozdamar, L., Ertem, M.: Models, solutions and enabling technologies in humanitarian logistics. Eur. J. Oper. Res. (2014). doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2014.11.030

  • Redhumorg: Red de información humanitaria para américa latina y el caribe (2015). http://www.redhum.org/mapas [date accesed 12 Feb 2015]

  • Resende, M., Ribeiro, C.: Greedy randomized adaptive search procedures. In: Glover, F., Kochenberger, G. (eds.) Handbook of Metaheuristics, pp. 219–249. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro, M.H., Plastino, A., Martins, S.L.: Hybridization of grasp metaheuristic with data mining techniques. J. Math. Model. Algorithms 5(1), 23–41 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Tirado, G., Martin-Campo, F., Vitoriano, B., Ortuño, M.T.: A lexicographical dynamic flow model for relief operations. Int. J. Comput. Intell. Syst. 7(sup1), 45–57 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasini, R., van Wassenhove, L.: From preparedness to partnerships: case study research on humanitarian logistics. Int. Trans. Oper. Res. 16(5), 549–559 (2009)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Tzeng, G.H., Cheng, H.J., Huang, T.D.: Multi-objective optimal planning for designing relief delivery systems. Transp. Res. Part E 43(6), 673–686 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viswanath, K., Peeta, S.: Multicommodity maximal covering network design problem for planning critical routes for earthquake response. J. Transp. Res. Board 1857(1), 1–10 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitoriano, B., Ortuño, M.T., Tirado, G., Montero, J.: A multi-criteria optimization model for humanitarian aid distribution. J. Global Optim. 51(2), 189–208 (2011)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Yi, W., Kumar, A.: Ant colony optimization for disaster relief operations. Transp. Res. Part E 43(6), 660–672 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeleny, M.: Multiple Criteria Decision Making. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, Y., Ling, H.: Emergency transportation planning in disaster relief supply chain management: a cooperative fuzzy optimization approach. Soft Comput. 17, 1301–1314 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was carried out with financial support from the Government of Spain, grant TIN2012-32482, and from the local Government of Madrid, grant S2013/ICE-2845 (CASI-CAM). We would like to acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte and the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad within the program of Campus de Excelencia Internacional, that allowed us to use the computation cluster EOLO.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, Facultad de Matemáticas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Plaza de Ciencias 3, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    José M. Ferrer, M. Teresa Ortuño & Gregorio Tirado

Authors
  1. José M. Ferrer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Teresa Ortuño
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gregorio Tirado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gregorio Tirado.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ferrer, J.M., Ortuño, M.T. & Tirado, G. A GRASP metaheuristic for humanitarian aid distribution. J Heuristics 22, 55–87 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10732-015-9302-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10732-015-9302-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation