Mobile technology for volunteers in the distribution of natural disaster humanitarian logistics: Case study on east Java province Indonesian red cross

On the events of natural disasters such as volcano eruptions, floods, landslides, tsunamis etc, volunteers play important roles in disasters management. The volunteers have to deal with the problem of managing the logistics to be distributed to the victims of the natural disasters. The logistics distribution for the victims of the disasters is hampered with the process of distributing goods from the central IRC (Indonesian Red Cross) to the shelters at the sites of the natural disasters. Often, the amount of goods sent, does not match with the amount of goods received. Sometimes the goods sent, also do not meet the needs of the victims due to the problems in data recording. There have not been many studies on this issue related to this kind of problems faced by volunteers. Some conducted studies, among others, were related to the logistics distribution methods, the speed of distribution, locating the shortest distance to the sites of the disasters. This study is developing a mobile application to facilitate easier logistics management between the Indonesian Red Cross, as the disaster management agency, the shelters and the volunteers at the disaster sites. The main focus is to meet the appropriate logistic requirements in sufficient quantity for the victims of the natural disasaters. The result of this study is the development of a mobile application for volunteers able to accurately record all logistical needs and supplies at the disaster sites.