Facility location for prepositioning of relief items

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to determine the facility location for the prepositioning of relief items (PRI) for disaster relief. The present work was inspired by the importance of the prepositioning of relief items and the convolution that affects the determination of their location. Expert interviews were used to verify the factors for PRI identified through the literature review. A factor rating system (FRS) under the group decision-making (GDM) is suggested to establish the weights of the criteria. The interviews with decision makers showed the dissimilarity of decision opinions, thus confirming the significance of GDM. The results of the present study are imperative from the decision maker’s perspective as managerial insights have been considered. The model is constructed based on the subjective opinion of experts and can be further validated statistically. This study can be further carried out the using of another technique, such as Fuzzy-FRS, with a greater number of factors. The results of this study will be valuable for decision makers planning of facility locations for the prepositioning of relief items. The proposed FRS approach highlights the significance of using multiple decision-makers to enhance the sense of possession of an established PRI. To the best of our knowledge, a factor rating system (FRS) under group decision-making (GDM) has not been considered concurrently for one particular problem (facility location) in humanitarian logistics. This study provides an in-depth analysis of prepositioning of relief items.