Welcome to OCI
The Operations of Critical Infrastructures (OCI) group was founded in 2023 and is led by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Emilia Graß. We are interested in how to use techniques from operations research and business analytics to improve the security and resilience of critical infrastructures with a particular emphasis on healthcare. As we confront the realistic threat posed by climate change-induced disasters, urbanization, conflicts, and escalating cyberattacks against healthcare providers, our commitment lies in addressing these challenges through a holistic and interdisciplinary approach.
Our paper titled "Characteristics of Crowd Disaster: Database Construction and Pattern Identification" has been accepted by the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
This study introduces a novel crowd disaster database, created with strict inclusion criteria and detailed characteristics, to better understand patterns of crowd movement under various conditions. Utilizing data from Factiva and other sources, the database includes 293 crowd disasters from 1989 to 2021. The cluster analysis algorithm K-Modes categorized the data into nine unique clusters, each representing a distinct type of crowd disaster. These findings enable event organizers to develop targeted crowd management strategies, reducing the likelihood of future crowd disasters.
Emilia Graß has been chosen as one of this year's Young Women for Operations Research (YW4OR) awarded by WISDOM (Women in Society: Doing Operational Research and Management Science).
WISDOM is a forum within the EURO (The Association of European Operational Research Societies) that aims to support, empower, and encourage the participation of all genders in Operations Research and Management Science (shortly OR). One of the goals of WISDOM is to promote championing, networking, and mentoring, particularly of women at the early stages of their careers in OR.
We are delighted that our paper, "A machine learning approach to deal with ambiguity in the humanitarian decision-making" has been successfully published in the prestigious journal Production and Operations Management. In response planning, humanitarian organizations face challenges due to ambiguity and uncertainty in disaster situations, compounded by missing elements and inconsistencies in available information from various sources. To address this, a novel methodological framework combining graph clustering and stochastic optimization is proposed to support decision-makers in analyzing and integrating divergent estimates from multiple data sources for efficient decision-making in humanitarian efforts, particularly in locating shelters for internally displaced people (IDP) in conflict zones like the Syrian civil war. By applying this methodology to integrate conflicting estimates from reliable sources, the study demonstrates improved satisfaction of shelter demand and more efficient integration of information, enabling decision-makers to better navigate ambiguity and make informed decisions in delivering humanitarian aid.
Emilia Graß is a member of the advisory board of the MEDI:CUS project which is a preliminary study on a cloud-based health data infrastructure to promote quality and digitization of healthcare in BW. The introduction of a "health cloud" brings together stakeholders in Baden-Württemberg as a healthcare location and enables numerous potentials of digitalization to be leveraged. The MEDI:CUS project aims to bridge existing gaps in health data infrastructure by establishing a secure and research-compatible cloud-based system, facilitating data-driven medical progress. Integration into the emerging European health data space promises further benefits, including improved health outcomes, efficiency gains, and cost savings for both patients and healthcare providers. The responsible heads of office commissioned an implementation project based on the results and recommendations of the MEDI:CUS project as part of the Baden-Württemberg Healthcare Location Forum and released the corresponding funds. We congratulate the entire MEDI:CUS team for this amazing success.
https://www.swr.de/swr2/wissen/baden-wuerttemberg-baut-online-plattform-medicus-auf-100.html