RESPLA: A decision support framework for emergency resource planning

In this paper, we propose a web based framework, RESPLA that can assist resource managers in emergency resource planning during the preparedness phase of the emergency management cycle. This framework computes the deployment schedule and associated response times of the required resources to a specific disaster site, given the location and available resources at each depot. Using a web based interface to Google maps, RESPLA enables the users (e.g. emergency managers) to change the resource depots´ location, add/delete resource depots, and change the number and type of available resources at each depot. This framework can help resource planners analyze how moving the resources from one location to another and adding new depots will affect the response times for a particular region. Moreover, analyzing the information about the response times will help communities in requesting additional resources.