Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6897851 | European Journal of Operational Research | 2013 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
During the emergency response to mass casualty incidents decisions relating to the extrication, treatment and transporting of casualties are made in a real-time, sequential manner. In this paper we describe a novel combinatorial optimization model of this problem which acknowledges its temporal nature by employing a scheduling approach. The model is of a multi-objective nature, utilizing a lexicographic view to combine objectives in a manner which capitalizes on their natural ordering of priority. The model includes pertinent details regarding the stochastic nature of casualty health, the spatial nature of multi-site emergencies and the dynamic capacity of hospitals. A Variable Neighborhood Descent metaheuristic is employed in order to solve the model. The model is evaluated over a range of potential problems, with results confirming its effective and robust nature.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Science (General)
Authors
Duncan T. Wilson, Glenn I. Hawe, Graham Coates, Roger S. Crouch,