Development of a VGI-based Participatory Spatial Decision-making System to Distribute Relief Aids in the Event of Natural Disasters

One of the inseparable parts of human life in all parts of the world and time periods is the occurrence of various natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, etc. Some countries, such as Iran, are more vulnerable to these events due to their geographical location and special climate conditions. Disaster management is important in the event of such disasters, which can reduce the loss of life, property, and mental health and prevent the imposition of exorbitant costs on the country. One of the most important aspects of disaster management is the proper and equitable distribution of the aid. The disadvantages of conventional and non-systemic approaches are lack of accurate information on the position of the affected areas and the type of needs of the people living there, inconsistency in the allocation of aid between the different organisations, and lack of awareness of the type and amount of aid allocated. Such a distribution causes problems, such as the unfair distribution of aid in the form of accumulation and loss of certain items in some areas, and the scarcity and high cost of certain items in others. A spatial decision-making system based on volunteered geographic information was proposed and implemented in this study in order to properly and fairly distribute aid in the event of natural disasters, which supports the disaster managers’ needs and functions. The proposed framework consists of two main phases. In the first phase three groups of users collect data on the affected areas and their needs in the context of volunteered geographic information.This data includes location data and the needs of the affected areas. After collecting a huge amount of data, in the second phase, with the help of multi-criteria decision analysis tools, the affected areas are prioritized in terms of need for assistance and items. Therefore management and monitoring of the process of distribution of items and allocation of aid to different affected areas is done. The advantages of using the proposed system are accelerating the identification of damaged areas, timely and targeted distribution of aid in a manner appropriate to the type and amount of needs, effective participation of injured and relieved people, prevention of loss of aid and possible abuses and saving time and money.