Integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain to increase humanitarian aid supply chains performance

Abstract

Global humanitarianism is largely based on the correct management of the humanitarian aid chain. Agility is a concept taken from supply chain management in manufacturing that has been recently applied to humanitarian aid supply chains (HASC) in order to deliver emergency disaster relief. Different actors participate in the HASC (International and local NGOs, governmental institutions and services, army or individual initiatives, among others) whose configurations, processes or goals directly influence the levels of responsiveness, flexibility or agility. In addition, fast changing environments and conditions require different agencies to work with effectiveness even reconfiguring to deliver relief in extreme emergency circumstances. There are plenty of catastrophic disasters sorts which differ in their impact according to multiple variables such as the level of country development, geographical distance to basic resources, political circumstances such as wars or embargos, inclusionary community participation, existence of potential or real epidemics, etc. This complexity involves plenty of difficulties for operational effectiveness as well as for the definition of an aid supply chain strategy. This paper provides an overview of the benefits that the integration of IoT and Blockchain can produce on HASC performance conditions involving resources, processes, outputs, outcomes and impacts.