In order to simulate the coordination of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in humanitarian relief, we propose a theoretical framework for the emergence of collaborative projects and corresponding coalitions. In this framework, NGOs are represented as autonomous and heterogeneous agents who are embedded in social networks. They interact with each other in various ways, deliberatively identif...

Organization and efficiency of relief operations are vital following a major disaster, as well as the guarantee that all of the affected population will adequately have their basic needs met. However, in a post-disaster environment, uncertainty often impacts all aspects of the relief efforts. Placement of relief distribution centers, as well as public knowledge of these locations, is crucial to...

Background Health Logistics Association (HLA) is an association of logistics professionals committed to humanitarian logistics effectiveness by creating opportunities for dialogue and cooperative relationships with its members and partners to build a community of practice for advancing the humanitarian logistics profession through the promotion of cross organisational learning and collaboration...

As the humanitarian health response industry grows, there is a need for technical health expertise that can build an evidence base around outcome measures and raise the quality and accountability of the health relief response. We propose the formation of technical support units (TSUs), entities of health expertise institutionalized within humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), whic...

In order to beat the competition, access new markets and respect operational, social and environmental constraints, enterprises establish collaborations with many other business entities. Furthermore, with costs and information sharing, organizations have the opportunity to optimize their logistics activities. However, each enterprise has its own objectives and typically makes its own planning ...

In recent years mankind experienced several "megadisasters" such as hurricane Katrine and tsunami in Indian Ocean in 2004. They showed that conventional tiered response to disasters does not work well in this case. Megadisasters require application of new technologies including context-aware interoperability of participants, on-the-fly decision support assistance and other. The paper describes ...

Timely and accurate processing of crisis information and effective communication have been documented as critical elements of disaster relief operations. Despite the lessons learned from previous crises, preparing information for humanitarian assistance and ineffective information sharing remain a recurring and almost impossible task for relief agencies. The purpose of this paper is to propose ...