The C³M concentrates on six research topics within the field of crisis management and humanitarian logistics, starting at visualization of processes within humanitarian organizations up to coordination of humanitarian supply chains in disaster relief operations.

• Visualization

  The research field visualization elaborates on the modeling of humanitarian supply chains. The development and deployment of an IT-supported reference model for humanitarian supply chains provides a common terminology, predefined tasks and aligned processes. Moreover, the visualization has the potential to ensure reusability and adaptability while respecting the end-users requirements. 

   

• Analysis

  The C³M’s analysis research area concentrates on performance measurement and management. The development and deployment of a performance measurement system for humanitarian logistics establishes prerequisites for a process-driven, modular, adaptable and reusable framework. Progress within this research area also enables crisis management to benefit from an open objective- and process-related KPI set
, management capabilities
 and an enhanced IT support. 

• IT support

  Speaking of IT support, the C³M decided to devote an own research area to this enormously important topic. In this area basic research is conducted within the development and application of an IT requirements profile. The requirements profile is used to compare and evaluate existing supply chain management software for humanitarian logistics as well as for the design and deployment of missing IT tools. Next to this, other IS evaluation approaches, such as the DRIVER+ Trial Guidance Methodology, are developed and applied.  

• Assessment

  The assessment research area focuses the design and development of assessment tools for humanitarian logistics planning that play a particular role in crisis management. Providing a method to quickly filter and prioritize the assessment information that is relevant for the tasks at hand, represents an essential information advantage for those authorities, who finally need to decide how available resources can be best allocated.

• Improvement

  Referring to the best allocation of resources, the research area on improvement  deals with the investigation and adjustment of appropriate operations research approaches for humanitarian logistics. Research within this topic concentrates on evaluation of existing quantitative methods for humanitarian logistics, design and developement of relevant approaches ,especially in the areas of procurement and warehousing, as well as the application of simulation of humanitarian relief chains.

• Coordination

  Last but not least, the coordination research area is concerned with the governance of ad-hoc networks in crisis management. The development of mechanisms for information sharing and coordination for humanitarian supply chains evaluates for example the governance approaches for ad hoc coordination in the humanitarian context.