Blockchain for Disaster Management

Natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and man-made disasters have affected our planet in an unpredictable way. These events prove to cost nations around the world billions of dollars annually, and the destruction that they bring is merely impossible to forecast. Disaster victims may not receive timely help due to poor coordination among responding agencies, late disaster response, and inadequate distribution of resources such as food, water, medical supplies, and transportation. This chapter explores the application of blockchain in disaster management to address these issues, and in turn, reduce the loss of time, money, and human life. Disaster management is a unique form of operations management in which emergency service providers and humanitarian agencies provide resources (e.g., medical services, logistical services, food, shelter, etc.) to support the public before, during, and after disasters. As disaster management operations unfold, massive amounts of data are produced as a result of the service transactions and aid efforts that take place to help support and restore society. The adoption of a blockchain approach in disaster management can reduce corruption, facilitate and accelerate the formation of partnerships between disaster relief agencies, deliver verified and timely disaster communications, improve the allocation of vital resources, and enable secure access to the valuable data that is produced during response and recovery operations. We offer a comprehensive blockchain framework for disaster management which includes the following stakeholders in its design: governments, residents, telecommunication providers, shelter providers, food service providers, medical service providers and suppliers, transportation providers, and non-governmental relief organizations.