An application of field trips planning optimization : a humanitarian context

Abstract

In these times of high uncertainty, global recession, and lack of adequate funding for humanitarian needs, it is crucial more than ever before to optimize humanitarian operations to achieve high levels of productivity and efficiency and to cut on operational costs without compromising delivery of humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable population. One of the major contributors to cost of operations is transportation costs. In the humanitarian field, fleets are operated to deliver aid and assistance to the needy and most vulnerable population around the globe. These fleets are run in the form of field trips, which constitute of a vehicle, a professional driver, humanitarian aid officer(s), and aid cargo. This study aims to optimize resources and reduce costs of humanitarian field trips using an automated VBA program. The VBA program utilizes optimization algorithms such as compatibility and overlapping matrices to optimize field trip requisitions. It also uses the Hungarian method to optimally solve the assignment matrices of vehicles to field trips and drivers to field trips. The outcome of the study is a user-friendly tool which uses as inputs: vehicles, drivers, field trips history, and field trips requisition plan, and provides as outputs: the optimum list of combined field trips, optimum vehicles to field trips assignment based on minimum cost of transportation, and optimum drivers to field trips assignment based on the maximum productivity of drivers. The driving force behind this project was the obligation to optimize the delivery of humanitarian aid to the needy and affected people. The aspiration was to contribute with a positive impact on this crucial path. This objective has been successfully realized through the optimization of vehicle and driver assignments, thereby enhancing the efficiency of field trips in the humanitarian field.