A Framework for Shelter Location Decisions by Ant Colony Optimization

Earthquakes frequently destroy the homes and livelihoods of thousands. One of the most important concerns after an earthquake is to find a safe shelter for the affected people. Because of large numbers of potential locations, the multitude of constraints (e.g. access to infrastructures; security); and the uncertainty prevailing (e.g., number of places required) the identification of optimal shelter locations is a complex problem. Nevertheless, rapidly locating shelters and transferring the affected people to the nearest shelters are high priority in crisis situations. In this paper, we develop a framework based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) to support decisions-makers in the response phase. Using the same framework, we also derive recommendations for urban planning in the preparedness phase. We demonstrate our method with a case focusing on the city of Kerman, in Iran.