Crisis management: operational logistics and asset visibility technologies

Abstract

The purpose of this MBA Project was to identify and explore logistical frameworks that leverage technology to overcome problems associated with coordinated logistics operations during crisis management. Over the past ten years, there have been significant advances in RFID, satellite and other related asset visibility technologies. These advances are mature enough to significantly increase the probability of achieving a useful common operational picture during emergency response activities. Recent crisis response operations that would have benefited from improved asset visibility include the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Pakistani earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and those related to the Global War on Terror. In each of these cases, multi-agency involvement, both foreign and domestic, compounded the complexity of asset tracking and communication protocols. The establishment of a logisticstracking framework that provides adequate asset visibility, while maintaining operational security, will greatly increase the effectiveness of future crisis response operations. The proposed logistics framework serves as a viable solution for common logistical problems encountered by the U.S. and other industrialized nations while conducting crisis response operations. The framework identifies concepts, technologies and protocols that can be used to improve crisis operations on a global scale.