Data-driven supply planning for a humanitarian aid center during war

Abstract

Consequences of natural disasters and military conflicts are becoming more devastating with the increase of population. Supply planning is widely studied and applied in commercial sectors, while not being fully benefited from by the humanitarian aid organizations. Volunteering movements fill gaps in which more formal, structured organizations are not able to respond. This project examined the operations of grassroots organizations during the russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A stakeholder analysis and a detailed research of fulfillment of the request process and inventory management of the grassroot volunteering center was conducted, based on centers request and supply real-time data, personal interviews of volunteers, life process observations. As a result, this project offers recommendations how to start using data for decisions makers in volunteering centers, including supply planning, providing an example for other similar centers. The project offers a good starting point for future research.