Aplicaci<acute accent>on del an<acute accent>alisis del centro de gravedad en el diseńo de cadenas de suministro humanitarias para la atenci<acute accent>on de desastres: El caso de Colombia.

Within the design of humanitarian supply chains, inventory prepositioning and distribution centers location emerge as high-impact strategic decisions for the effectiveness of humanitarian action in providing aid to populations affected by disasters. This study presents a method for locating humanitarian distribution centers based on the Colombian case study. The gravity center methodology was applied to determine the geographical coordinates that represent alternatives for providing timely assistance in emergencies and disasters in the country. The data used were extracted from open access databases regarding to historical records in Colombia. The information was processed and the method was applied to generate three decentralized places where humanitarian distribution centers can be located. This study demonstrates the applicability of logistical principles from the traditional commercial framework to the highly complex and uncertainty contexts of disaster logistics, and how these principles can promote humanitarian principles of neutrality, equity, and independence, which should guide the assistance provided to populations in conditions of greater vulnerability.