Enabling Disaster Relief Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) and Supply Chain Coordination (SCC)

Abstract

In disaster relief–humanitarian logistics (DRHL), supply chain visibility (SCV) and supply chain coordination (SCC) remain crucial to supply chain performance when demand and lead times are volatile. Many DRHL solutions based on operations research or other such models in the literature, rely on SCV and SCC. However, there is a paucity of literature on how to enable SCV and SCC immediately after disasters strike. This paper proposes decentralised, peer–to–peer (P2P) systems architecture (SA) that augments existing information systems and communications networks in use. This architecture has additional capabilities that enable a ‘low-cost version’ of SCV and SCC. By identifying antecedents and characteristics of agile and quick response supply chain and introducing them into DRHL, we lay the framework for enabling SCV and SCC in DRHL. Based on this completed research on the systems architecture and framework, this paper outlines briefly, an implementable version of an artefact for such deployment.