Intellectual structure and trends in the humanitarian operations field

Abstract

Humanitarian Operations (HO) have attracted the interest of professionals and academics, mainly due to their potential to reduce human suffering in disaster situations, leading to consolidation as a research field. With the evolution of the HO research field, synthesis of the knowledge and previous discoveries has become an important task for its advancement. In this study, a literature review based on bibliometric mapping techniques was carried out in order to identify the HO intellectual structure. As main results, we visually present the general emerging structure of the HO field using the VOS viewer software to devise the networks of the principal articles. The seminal research in this field is organized into two clusters: Humanitarian Supply Chain Management, and Distribution Optimization in Humanitarian Logistics. Regarding the emerging intellectual structure, three clusters were identified: Relationship Management and Big Data, Healthcare facility location, and Network flow restoration optimization. Finally, some gaps and questions for future research are presented.

Looking back and beyond the complex dynamics of humanitarian operations

“…The second inclusion criterion included studies on HO. HO has a broad scope, encompassing humanitarian logistics (HL), humanitarian supply chains (HSC) and the management activities involved (Nunes and Pereira, 2022). While HL deals primarily with the operational aspects of moving goods, services and information during disasters, involving activities such as procurement, transportation, warehousing, distribution and inventory management (Leiras et al, 2014), HSC management is a broader field that incorporates strategic planning, coordination and optimisation of the entire supply chain to improve the overall effectiveness of HO, including activities such as demand forecasting, procurement strategy development, supplier relationship management, risk assessment and performance measurement (Akhtar et al, 2012;Shafiq and Soratana, 2019).…”

Assessing the role of industry 4.0 for enhancing swift trust and coordination in humanitarian supply chain

“…Information Technologies (IT) plays a crucial role in coordination, flexibility and competitiveness of suppliers in supply chain (Bag et al, 2020a ; b ; Nunes & Pereira, 2021 ). Moreover, Industry 4.0 can be considered as the mediator factor for increasing swift trust and coordination between HSC stakeholders.…”

Quick-Response Model for Pre- and Post-Disaster Evacuation and Aid Distribution: The Case of the Tula River Flood Event

“…Facility location pertains to the positioning of warehouses and distribution centers for emergency resources [6,7]. Distribution studies delineate the formation of the distribution network, the choice of transportation modes, and the required capacity to assist people [8,9].…”