An RFID-based inventory management framework for efficient emergency relief operations

Emergency disaster management has emerged as a vital tool to reduce the harm and alleviate the suffering the disasters can cause to their victims. A significant task of planners involved in the emergency disaster management is the ability to plan for and satisfy the vital needs of the people located in the emergency shelters, such as the Superdome shelter at New Orleans. As clearly stated by Whybark [1], the management of the stored vital commodities can be improved within the emergency disaster management if there were more effective tracking and monitoring systems. This study proposes a comprehensive framework for the development of a humanitarian emergency inventory management system based on the real-time tracking of emergency supplies and demands through the integration of emerging technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID). The proposed approach combines an offline planning strategy with online control techniques in a unified framework that is robust with respect to disruptions to the transportation system and unexpected peaks in consumption of vital commodities in the aftermath of a disaster.