A light‐touch routing optimization tool (RoOT) for vaccine and medical supply distribution in Mozambique

Petroianu, Larissa P.G.; Zabinsky, Zelda B.; Zameer, Mariam; Yi, Chuixiang; Muteia, Mamiza M.; Resende, Maurício G. C.; Coelho, Aida L.; Purty, Turam; Draiva, Abel; Lopes, Álvaro

doi:10.1111/itor.12867

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…To understand how RoOT's computation time compared with other available optimization software, we ran several numerical tests. (For details, see the results reported in Petroianu et al 25 ) Overall, RoOT performed very well. For 10-20 facilities, the performance of RoOT's indexing method was similar to the best of the available software packages, and produced an optimal solution within 2 minutes.…”

Section: Computational Performancementioning

confidence: 56%

“…(For details, see the results reported in Petroianu et al . 25 ) Overall, RoOT performed very well. For 10–20 facilities, the performance of RoOT’s indexing method was similar to the best of the available software packages, and produced an optimal solution within 2 minutes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Additionally, we also tested RoOT for a greater number of health facilities to reflect distributions in larger countries. For 50 health facilities, RoOT provided good results in 2 minutes, while the other available software packages took much longer 25 . For example, when results were compared testing with 50 health facilities, the other available packages were run for two minutes and could not reach the result that RoOT calculated in less than 10 seconds.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the landscaping analysis, we identified 18 vehicle routing software packages and 15 supply chain software packages that could be used in our context 25 . Most of the routing software used in commercial logistics focuses on distribution efficiency to minimize cost and time and does not explicitly include risk as an objective.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Route Optimization Tool (RoOT) for distribution of vaccines and health products

Zabinsky¹,

Muteia²

2021

Gates Open Res

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Ensuring the delivery and availability of health products, including temperature-sensitive vaccines, is vital to saving lives in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many LMICs routes are hand drawn by logisticians and are adjusted based on vehicle availability and product quantities. Easy-to-use real-time supply chain tools are needed to create or adjust routes for available vehicles and road conditions. Having more efficient and optimized distribution is especially critical for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Route Optimization Tool (RoOT) works best for planning routes for 50 health facilities or less, in two minutes. We develop RoOT using a variant of a Vehicle Routing and Scheduling Algorithm (VeRSA) that is coded in Python but reads and writes Excel files to make data input and using outputs easier. RoOT can be used for routine operations or in emergency situations, such as delivery of new COVID-19 vaccine. The tool has a user-centric design with easy dropdown menus and the ability to optimize on time, risk, or combination of both. RoOT is an open-source tool for optimal routing of health products. It provides optimized routes faster than most commercial software and is tailored to meet the needs of government stakeholders We trained supply chain logisticians in Mozambique on using RoOT, and their feedback validates that RoOT is a practical tool to improve planning and efficient distribution of health products, especially vaccines. We also illustrate how RoOT can be adapted for an emergency situation by using a test scenario of a cyclone. Currently, RoOT does not allow multi-day routes, and is designed for trips that can be completed within twenty-four hours. Areas for future development include multi-day routing and integration with mapping software to facilitate distance calculations and visualization of routes.

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Section: Computational Performancementioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Route Optimization Tool (RoOT) for distribution of vaccines and health products

Zabinsky¹,

Muteia²

2021

Gates Open Res

Self Cite

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“…Rastegar, et al ( Rastegar et al, 2021 ) investigated a novel MIP for a location-inventory problem to ensure the fair allocation of influenza vaccines in developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. PG Petroianu, et al ( Pg Petroianu, 2020 ) developed a user-friendly optimization tool for the VRP of vaccine distribution in Mozambique. Lin, et al ( Lin et al, 2020 ) presented the impacts of different cold chain transportation policies in a vaccine supply chain.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A simulation-based analysis for effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines: A case study in Norway

Sun

Andoh

2021

Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives

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Since December 2020, the vaccines from several manufacturers, e.g., Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, etc., have been approved for mass vaccination to control the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused more than 100 million infections and 2.4 million deaths. These vaccines are produced and transported in large quantities to suffice the needs of several countries. Before arriving at the end-users, the vaccines need to be stored at extremely low temperatures and distributed through reliable cold chain logistics networks. Thus, the timely and cost-effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines via cold chain logistics has become a complex operational challenge. In this paper, we develop a simulation-based approach combining both route optimization and dynamic simulation to improve the logistics performance for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. A state-of-the-art simulation package called anyLogistix is used to perform a real-world case study in Norway. With the data of periodic vaccine demands, customer and warehouse locations, vehicle-related costs and emissions, and expected service levels, implications are obtained based on the analysis of several scenarios. Our experimental results reveal that the service level, cost-effectiveness, environmental performance, and equity of a cold chain vaccine logistics system can be significantly influenced by the fleet size, the fleet composition, the type of vehicle used, and the route optimization. Thus, these factors need to be holistically considered in the planning of an effective COVID-19 vaccine distribution system.

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