Indonesia is the third most disaster-prone country after the Philippines and India according to The World Risk Index in 2022. Based on data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), from 2022 to 2023, there will be an increase in the number of disasters in Indonesia, from 2403 incidents to 2616 incidents. This fact became the basis for Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the UI Faculty of Computer Science (Fasilkom) in collaboration with logistics experts and the research operations team from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) to hold a workshop on decision-making support innovation systems. This innovation, called RESPOND-OR-X, aims to help BNPB improve its decision-making capabilities to prepare for or deal with natural disasters.
RESPOND-OR-X is the name of the RESilient Emergency Preparedness for Natural Disaster Response through OR (RESPOND-OR) project, funded by the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. RESPOND-OR-X also receives ongoing support from Lancaster University’s Global Advancement Fund. The RESPOND-OR-X decision support system aims to help Indonesia prepare for natural disasters such as floods or volcanic eruptions.
In the workshop entitled “Effective Response to Natural Disaster: The RESPOND-OR-X Decision Support System (DSS), RESPOND-OR-X project members demonstrated and explained the use of the RESPOND-OR-X Decision Support System. In front of the workshop participants consisting of researchers, elements of national and regional disaster management agencies, representatives of Provincial BPBDs, Non-Governmental Organizations and academics from information technology departments of universities in Indonesia, the potential benefits of this system were also presented.
Vice Dean for Education, Research and Student Affairs at Fasilkom UI, Ari Saptawijaya, S.Kom., M.Sc., Ph.D said, it is important to consider how important technology is in overcoming complex problems in natural disaster preparedness and response. “The result of extensive research and team work, DSS-RESPOND-OR-X is proof of the ability of digital solutions to support efficient decision making in emergency scenarios,” said Ari. He also added that the workshop was an interesting opportunity for researchers and academics to learn more deeply about the functions of the assisted evacuation planning module as well as the personal routing and scheduling module.
Director of the Center for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL) LUMS, Professor Konstantinos Zografos said that he and his team developed a Data Distribution Service (DDS) which includes mathematical models and solution algorithms by connecting real-world complexities. “We (CENTRAL) are committed to overcoming the real and significant problems (natural disasters) that hit Indonesia. Through RESPOND-OR and RESPOND-OR-X we try to help, support decisions to evacuate aid in areas affected by disasters. “Not only that, we will also provide routes and scheduling for disaster response teams by considering efficiency criteria,” said Prof. Kontantinos at the workshop which took place at the Graha BNPB Head Office, Jakarta Thursday (30/11/).
Furthermore, he also explained the benefits of developing DDS RESPOND-OR/ RESPOND-OX which can support steps taken by the government or non-governmental institutions to overcome or prevent a spike in casualties due to the effects of natural disasters. This international multi-disciplinary RESPOND-OR-X project involves Fasilkom UI Professor, Prof. Heru Suhartanto, Drs., M.Sc., Ph.D; Professor at Monash University, Australia, Prof. Juliana Sutanto; as well as researchers from both universities.
