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The Improvement of Disaster Relief Distribution by Accommodating Internet of

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 International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology
Vol. 29, No. 7s, (2020), pp. 3654-3664

The Improvement of Disaster Relief Distribution

by Accommodating Internet of Things (IoT) Real-time Data

M. Dachyar and Tamara Nilasari

Industrial Engineering Department, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
mdachyar@yahoo.com; tamara.nilasari@gmail.com

Abstract
Disaster relief distribution demanding the high speed and accountability system due to its
emergency situation closely with human life and safety. The purpose of this study is to design
improvement in disaster relief distribution information system by utilizing the Internet of Things
(IoT). Business process reengineering (BPR) approach is used to redesign business process of
the disaster relief distribution. The method used in this study is a structured system development
approach with Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) and Data Flow Diagram (DFD). This study
resulted in cycle time reduction of disaster relief distribution process by 59.4% and proposed
design of information system which is expected to improve the accountability in disaster relief
distribution system.

Keywords: Disaster relief distribution, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Internet of

Things (IoT), Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD), Supply Chain.

1. Introduction
Disasters can occur anywhere, anytime. In the aftermath of disaster, everyone who is affected by
disaster has the right to get assistance in fulfilling their basic needs. The government has an
important role in attending to the needs of victims in the form of disaster relief [1]. To support
the community resilience, the operations of disaster relief distribution must be carried out in
agile and accountable way [2], [3].
Currently, the manual, low or no-tech operations of disaster relief distribution in Indonesia with
many actors involved causes disaster relief distribution activities to take a long time and are not
accountable. The long waiting time for victims to get their relief goods in hand and an uneven
distribution with oversupply or undersupply to some affected people are clearly problematic to
the intended purpose of an agile and accountable relief distribution system.
The evolution of information system (IS) and the growth of internet of things (IoT) open up new
possibilities for better operations of disaster relief distribution by digitization and providing near
real-time information for anyone at any time.
This study aims to reduce time and improve accountability of disaster relief distribution
operations using QR Code technology and Relational Database through disaster relief
distribution IS with IoT support.

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2. Literature Review
2.1 Disaster Relief

Disaster relief varies in goods and services. It consists of temporary shelter, food, clothing, clean
water and sanitation assistance, along with health services. Temporary shelter is a temporary
place for victims to evacuate within a certain period of time. Food aid can be a shelf-stable food
or foodstuff provided to victims for survival. Clothing is an individual need in the form of
clothes and personal equipment. Clean water is mandatory to drink and to be used for personal
and household hygiene without causing significant risks to health. Sanitation is cleanliness and
environmental health which is related to drainage, liquid and solid waste management, and
vector control. Health services cover health inspection service and provision of medicines for
disaster victims, both for treatment and prevention of disease.
Disaster relief is given by prioritizing vulnerable groups. The vulnerable groups are infants,
children, pregnant or lactating mothers, people with disabilities, people with serious medical
condition, and the elderly [3].

2.2 Business Process Reengineering

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a strategy of rethinking and redesign business process
in an organization which aims to improve service quality and cut operational costs [4]. Some best
practices in BPR include task elimination, parallelism, automation, simplification, separation,
and standardization [5].

2.3 Information System and Internet of Things in Disaster Management

Information system (IS) is defined as a set of interrelated components that synergistically

provide information for the purpose of an organization by managing input, processing, and
output activities [6]. In accordance with prior studies, the most uses of IS in disaster management
are for assets management and humanitarian logistics inventory management which organizes
the flow of relief goods from the government or donors to relief distribution centers [7]–[9],
however, studies on how IS can support the operations of relief distribution to the victims are
still lacking.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept that expands the benefits of internet connectivity that is
continuously connected [10]. Recently, the use of IoT continues to be developed in disaster
management systems for early warning, damage prediction, victims search and rescue
operations, and real-time communication during emergency response [11], [12].

2.4 Relational Database

In the relational database model, a database is a collection of tables that are connected to each
other. Relational database use two-dimensional tables consisting of rows and columns.
Relational database has advantages that are easy to understand and operate [13]. To create a
database, the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is used to map the conceptual design of the
database. ERD has three components: entity, attribute, and relationship. Entity is a certain object
represented in the database, such as people, house, companies, jobs, and others. Attributes are
properties that are used to explain the entity, for example, sex and age are attributes for a person
as an entity. Relationship exists between two different entities. There are three kinds of
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relationships in ERD. They are one to one (1: 1), one to many (1: N), and many to many (M: N)
relationships [14].

2.5 Quick Response Code

Quick Response Code (QR Code) technology has been widely used in various fields. Not limited
to goods, services, and replacement of cash, the use of QR Code has also been used for the
process of human identification. The application of QR Code to hospital patients is in the form of
bracelets, necklaces, ID cards, or key chains in health care centers in Japan, Singapore, and Hong
Kong [15], [16]. In addition, the QR Code is also used for the 2018 Asian Games event ticketing
in the form of an audience wristbands ticket.

2.6 Data Flow Diagram dan Use Case Diagram

DFD graphically describes the components of a system, data streams between these components,
the origin, destination and storage of the data [17]. DFD has four notations: external entity,
process, data store, and data flow. External entity is a data source for input or destination from an
output process. A process transforms input into output. Data store is data storage, generally in the
form of a database. Data flow maps the direction of data flow from or to a process [18].
Use case diagram shows the expected functionality of a system from the user's point of view.
Use case diagram consists of four components: use case, actor, relationship, and boundary
system. Use cases are placed inside the boundary system. Actors describe other people or
systems related to the current system. Actor is a role, not a specific user. System boundary is a
rectangle boundary that encloses all the use cases to separate the use cases — internal to the
system — from the actors — external to the system. Relationship in use case diagrams has four
types, which are, association, include, extend, and generalization. Association connects actors
with use cases. Include includes another use case that is a mandatory part of a use case. Extend
extends use cases if a condition or condition is fulfilled. Generalization/inheritance connects the
components — use case or actor — which is a specialization of other components [19].

3. Methods
This paper specifically addresses the issues in the disaster relief distribution system in Indonesia
with respect to the flow of process and information from the distribution centers to the victims as
beneficiaries. Data collection and processing in this study is conducted through several steps.
Preliminary data are obtained by comprehensively reviewing Government documents related to
the disaster relief distribution. The review results are then equipped with data from in-depth
interviews regarding the details of the time spent in the current process of disaster relief
distribution from six experts with more than ten years of experience.
Data processing started by mapping the current process of disaster relief distribution. An analysis
of the current disaster relief distribution system and system requirements is conducted. Current
system has several shortcomings that need to be improved based on customer requirements. The
collected solutions are integrated into an alternative disaster relief distribution system which
leads to the need for an information system (IS). The IS for disaster relief distribution is then
designed by a structured system development approach with Entity-Relationship Diagram
(ERD), Data Flow Diagram (DFD), and Use Case Diagram. To compare the time-based
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operational performance of the current and proposed relief distribution system, both processes
are simulated using iGrafx software.

4. Results and Discussion

This research discusses the system of disaster relief distribution from two perspectives: the
length of time spent in the process for serving the victims and the accountability in its
information flow.

4.1 Current Process of Disaster Relief Distribution

Current distribution process of disaster relief is started from the data collection of victims until
the recapitulation of relief distribution data. Current process is divided into the distribution and
post-distribution phases (see Fig. 1). Distribution phase is the only phase that involves victims, in
which the length of time spent in this phase matters. From the simulation results on the iGrafx
software, it takes an average cycle of 6.33 hours in distribution phase to serve 1000 victims.

4.2 Analysis of Current System

Analysis of the current disaster relief distribution system (refer to Fig. 2) is intended to find its
shortcomings as the following descriptions. Registering victims takes the longest working time
during the distribution phase that causes the victims to spend around two to three hours waiting
to be registered. A lot of data has to be recorded, still, people involved in the relief distribution
system rely on paper-based lists and face-to-face meetings for coordination. With low or no-tech
operations, human errors is unavoidable, potentially produce inaccurate and unaccountable data.
In addition, with a lot of data, manual record keeping with paper turn out to be time-consuming
task.

4.3 Customer Requirements of Future System

To have a deeper understanding of customer (the government) expectations and preferences for
the future system, an analysis of voice of the customer (VoC) is conducted. VoC data are
collected by customer interviews. From the customer interviews, the needs for the future disaster
relief distribution system is as follows:
1. Record keeping with minimal human errors
2. Record keeping that cannot be manipulated
3. Near accurate and accountable data
4. Victims data that can be easily identified based on sex, age, and their special needs
5. Near real-time data that can be easily accessed by the authority
6. Non time-consuming process, non-repetitive task.

4.3.1 Proposed Solutions and Alternative for Improvement

By summarizing the needs for future system from the VoC, it was concluded that the future
disaster relief distribution system must take into account how to perform the disaster relief
distribution in an agile and accountable way. Fig. 2 shows task-based issues and issues-based
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solutions that depict the relation between the current process, the issues contained, and the
solutions generated.

Figure 1. Model comparation of current and proposed process of relief distribution

Solution 1 and 2 (S1 and S2) are combined into an alternative of improvement, that is, disaster
relief distribution information system which will integrate relational database and QR Code
supported by a smartphone application (using IoT). As register victims task will be still time-
consuming for the sake of an accountable data, the victims data collection is proposed to be
conducted in the pre-distribution phase, days before the relief distribution phase conducted.

Figure 2. Issues-based solution

The proposed system will involve Central Government, Regional Government, Shelter
Coordinator, and Relief Distribution Operator in its implementation with each role and different
responsibilities, whilst the proposed disaster relief distribution application will be able to make a
QR Code for each recorded victim’s identity. QR Code which already contains the victim’s
identity will be sent by the Shelter Coordinator through the application to the Regional
Government. The Regional Government will then print each QR Code in the form of wristbands.
The wristbands will be distributed to each victim who deserves the assistance. Victims
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wristbands are made of the materials in that they are not easily damaged for at least one month
during the time the victim still in the shelter.
The victim wristband is the identity of each victim whenever they take or receive disaster
assistance. The QR Code in the victim wristbands will be scanned by the application of disaster
relief distribution system so that each disaster relief receipt transaction per victim is directly
recorded into the application database. The disaster relief distribution information system is
structurally designed with ERD, DFD, and Use Case Diagram as explained in the following
subsections.

4.3.2 Database Design

Database conceptual design is mapped by Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD). The proposed
ERD is created based on the customer needs for data completeness of disaster victims and
assistance received per victim, per family, or per shelter through the Shelter Coordinator. The
ERD is then mapped to the Relational Table form as shown in Fig. 3, which represents the
relationship between the attributes. The Primary Key (PK) is a key attribute that uniquely
differentiates an entity.

4.3.3 Data Flow Diagram

Figure 3. Relation database of the proposed database

Data Flow Diagram (DFD) describes how data flow in the system, shows the input and output of
the processes. DFD Level 1 disaster relief distribution system (see Fig. 4) involves the Central

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Administrator (Central Government), Regional Administrator (Regional Government), Shelter

Coordinator, Disaster Relief Distribution Operator, and Victim Wristbands as external entities
that are the source and/or the destination of data in the disaster relief distribution system. The
Central Administrator becomes the initial data source of the user accounts management process
in the system. Each user can update or complete their user profile after their user account is
created. In the process of data collection of victims, shelter, and the assistance, the Regional
Administrator and Shelter Coordinator are the main data sources. The process of data processing
of disaster relief distribution get inputs from the disaster relief distribution operator and QR Code
on victim wristbands and then sends the output in the form of disaster relief distribution reports
to the Central Administrator, Regional Administrator, Shelter Coordinator, and Disaster Relief
Distribution Operator.
DFD Level 2 Process 3.0 (see Fig. 5) will produce the final output in the form of a disaster relief
distribution report. There are four subprocesses within data processing of disaster relief
distribution. The process starts with scanning the QR Code on the victim wristbands, then the
code is translated into the victim identity and verified. When the verification is successful, the
scan time will be recorded as input to the process of relief distribution data collection. The
disaster relief distribution operator can also input any other details of relief distribution if
needed, for example, if some victims must be given the relief in more quantity than other
victims. These data will be processed by the system so that the data of relief quantity available
and received per National Identity Number (NIN) or per Family Registration No. will always be
updated. The output of the process of relief distribution data collection enters the database and
becomes the input of the process of relief distribution data processing. The process of relief
distribution data processing will produce a disaster relief distribution report that will be received
by the Central Administrator, Regional Administrator, Shelter Coordinator, and the Relief
Distribution Operator involved.

Figure 4. DFD level 1

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Figure 5. DFD level 2 process 3.0

4.3.4 Use Case Diagram

Use case diagram of a disaster relief distribution system (see Fig. 6) consisting of five actors:
Central Administrator (Central Government), Regional Administrator (Regional Government),
Shelter Coordinator, Relief Distribution Operator, and User. The Central Administrator has the
highest authority to access all data and information in the system on a national scale. Each user
who will interact with the system must first have an account created by the Central
Administrator. Regional Administrator is responsible for the data of shelter point, incoming and
outgoing quantity of assistance, also, verification of victims data before a QR Code is made for
each victim identity. Regional Administrator can access data and information which is related to
their region. The Shelter Coordinator can only access data and information relating to their own
shelter and the victims

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Figure 6. Use case diagram

coordinated in their shelter. The relief distribution operator has the authority to scan the QR
Code in the victim’s wristbands and input other details needed for relief distribution data. The
scan time will always be recorded in the database to minimize the likelihood of the data being
manipulated. The User is a generalization of the Central Administrator, Regional Administrator,
Shelter Coordinator, and Disaster Relief Distribution Operator actors. In the proposed disaster
relief distribution system, each User can access the information of available quantity per type of
assistance, shelter point that is connected with Google Maps, victim’s data and relief distribution
data based on each actor authorization. For victim’s data, the Central Administrator can see the
data on a national scale, Regional Administrators on a regional scale, Shelter Coordinator can
only view data of victims who evacuate in their shelter, and Relief Distribution Operator can
only see summary of victim’s information based on sex, age, and vulnerable group
categorization. Data of relief distribution can be accessed by the Central Administrator on a
national scale, Regional Administrators on a regional scale, while Shelter Coordinator can only
view data of relief distribution regarding their shelter or victims in their shelter, and Relief
Distribution Operator can only view data of relief distribution in the activities that involved
them.

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4.3.5 Proposed Process of Disaster Relief Distribution

The proposed process of disaster relief distribution starts with the victim’s data collection that
will be conducted on the day before the relief distribution phase (see Fig. 1). Victims' data
collection will be carried out by the Shelter Coordinator simultaneously at each shelter through
the disaster relief distribution application. There will be no post-distribution data recapitulation
task because each data is recorded in a database and processed digitally through a disaster relief
distribution information system. From the simulation results on the iGrafx software, it takes an
average cycle of 2.57 hours to serve the relief distribution to 1000 people, which implies
working time reduction in distribution phase up to 59.4% (see Table I).

TABLE I. Process time-based comparation

Process Avg Process Time (Hours) Time Reduction
Disaster Relief
Current 6.33
 Distribution 59.4%
Proposed 2.57

4.3.6 Analysis of Proposed Disaster Relief Distribution System

In order to maximize the expected benefits for the proposed disaster relief distribution system,
the following are things that must be considered.
1. Residence document can be lost or damaged due to disaster, so that the National Identity
Number and Family Registration Number can first be filled in with the generated unique ID
for each victim and each family as the victims.
2. Each victim affected by a disaster is only allowed to have one victim wristbands.
3. Each victim affected by a disaster is only allowed to be registered in one shelter.
4. Taking or receiving assistance that can be deputed is should be avoided.
Elderly people or vulnerable groups who cannot come to the location of relief distribution should
be directly visited by relief distribution operators to be given disaster assistance.

5. Conclusion
To support the community resilience aftermath of disaster, the operations of disaster relief
distribution must be carried out in agile and accountable way. Based on customer needs, an
information system is needed as an enabler to increase the speed and accountability of disaster
relief distribution system. The proposed system is expected to reduce relief distribution time by
59.4%, from 6.33 hours to 2.57 hours. Its implementation requires a proper internet connection.
Future research can be conducted to develop the system prototype.

6. Acknowledgment
Research granted by Universitas Indonesia – PITTA B 2019.

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