Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

12-2013

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department

Industrial Engineering

Committee Chair

Chen, Lijian

Author's Keywords

Emergence response; Robust optimization; Resource allocation; Stochastic programming; Pandemics; Decision-support system

Subject

Resource allocation--Mathematical models

Abstract

Optimization Models for Resource allocation are investing in how to make the best use of available but limited resources in order to achieve the best results. In strategic planning, resource allocation is a plan for using available resources, especially in the near future, to achieve the goals of the future. It is a process of allocating resources during the entire planning horizon and among the various units. Resource allocation plans can be decided by using mathematical programming. In this dissertation, the research has been focused on how to allocate resources in the uncertain environment. The mathematical programming formulations for the resource allocation model under severe uncertainty will be studied. In particular, we will focus on solving the stability issues of the traditional probabilistic model. We propose an approach consisting of solving a sequence of convex robust optimization models with unknown-but-bounded random variables along with the stochastic programming to pursue the allocation performance for the expected overall objective value. Our theoretical results show that the proposed approach can always obtain an equivalent or a better expected revenue with the corresponding allocation, while significantly reducing the risk under perturbations. Although this method requires solving two convex mathematical programming models, both models are solved within a timely manner thanks to their convex model instances and with effective, and less, computationally demanding algorithms. With the increasing threats from public health emergencies, such as earthquakes, tornados, pandemic flus, or terrorist attacks, high attention has been paid to the public health response to a pandemic from federal to national level, together with local health departments, and the health-care community. Various organizations cooperate with each other to strengthen the preparedness for the pandemic and disastrous emergencies, thus to improve the public health. The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for the United States in the event of a shortage of local medical resources or other unanticipated supply problems. The SNS is the United States’ national repository of antibiotics, vaccines, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, and other critical medical equipment and supplies. It has the capability to supplement or re-supply local health authorities with necessary materials for relief action within the response time in as little as 12 hours. The pilot study is done with the support of Kentucky SNS to determine the capacity allocation plan for each county in order to maximize the health benefit under various uncertainties, which can never be accurately estimated. We thereby employ a heuristic method named “resource reservation” to suggest the resource allocation plan for Kentucky SNS.

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