Logistical Planning Problems in Disaster Relief: Simultaneous Operational Planning for RoadClearance Operations and Relief Distribution

在自然灾害（如地震或海啸）发生后的最初几天和几周内，最紧迫的任务是尽快将救援物资以及搜索和救援队运送到受灾地区，以减轻灾民的痛苦。在救灾的第一阶段，快速和有效的救济分发经常受到道路堵塞的阻碍。由于树木倒塌、山崩或瓦砾，道路网的部分路段无法通行，因此，受影响的村庄与外界完全隔绝，或车辆不得不绕道费时地将救济物资运送到这些地方。另一方面，救援物资必须用能力有限的车队尽快运送。另一方面，必须安排具有不同能力和设备的排雷人员的合作行动，以便清理被封锁的道路，使装载救济物资的车辆能够及时通过这些道路。这两个规划问题是相互依存的，因为一方面，道路清理行动的顺序和持续时间影响着救济物资分发的速度。另一方面，在救济分配内的需求节点的访问顺序和到达时间对道路清除操作的调度有影响。因此，必须以综合办法同时处理这两个规划问题，以便协调道路清理行动和救济分发工作，使受灾者得到同等的救济。到目前为止，科学文献中只有少数文章讨论了这种组合规划问题。这个问题的各个相关方面尚未得到审议。因此，本预定项目的目标是，为同时规划道路清理行动和救济分配而开发数学模型和求解算法。

In the first days and weeks after a natural disaster struck (e.g. earthquake or tsunami), the most urgent task is to transport relief goods as well as search and rescue teams as fast as possible to the affected regions in order to alleviate the suffering of the disaster victims. In this first phase of disaster relief a fast and efficient relief distribution is regularly hampered by blocked roads. Because of fallen trees, landslides or debris parts of the road network are impassable, so that affected villages are completely cut off or vehicles have to make time-consuming detours to transport relief goods to these places.From a methodological point of view, two planning problems arise. On the hand relief goods have to be delivered as fast as possible with a fleet of capacity constrained vehicles. On the other hand the cooperative operation of clearance crews with different abilities and equipment has to be scheduled in order to clear blocked roads, so that these roads are passable for vehicles loaded with relief goods in a timely manner. Both planning problems are interdependent, as on the one side order and duration of the road clearance operations influence the speed of the relief distribution. On the other side visiting order and arrival times at the demand nodes within relief distribution have an effect on the scheduling of the road clearance operations. Thus, both planning problems have to be tackled simultaneously in an integrated approach, so that road clearance operations and relief distribution are coordinated in order to achieve an equal coverage of the disaster victims. Up to now only a few articles in the scientific literature have tackled this combined planning problem. Diverse relevant aspects of the problem have not yet been considered. Therefore, pursuing the development of mathematical models and solution algorithms for simultaneous planning of road clearance operations and relief distribution is the aim of this intended project.