Path selection model and algorithm for emergency logistics management

Path selection is one of the fundamental problems in emergency logistics management. Two mathematical models for path selection in emergency logistics management are presented considering more actual factors in time of disaster. First a single-objective path selection model is presented taking into account that the travel speed on each arc will be affected by disaster extension. The objective of the model is to minimize total travel time along a path. The travel speed on each arc is modeled as a continuous decrease function with respect to time. A modified Dijkstra algorithm is designed to solve the model. Based oil the first model, we further consider the chaos, panic and congestions in time of disaster. A multi-objective path selection model is presented to minimize the total travel time along a path and to minimize the path complexity. The complexity of the path is modeled as the total number of arcs included in the path. An ant colony optimization algorithm is proposed to solve the model. Simulation results show the effectiveness and feasibility of the models and algorithms presented in this paper. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.