Infrastructure types critical to humanitarian logistics
| Infrastructure type | Description |
|---|---|
| Transportation networks | |
| Roads | Facilitate access to affected areas and enable the efficient ground transportation of humanitarian aid |
| Bridges | Fundamental links within road networks, serving a critical role in connecting local areas and supporting regional material flows |
| Highways | Link cities and facilitate rapid long-distance deliveries and evacuations |
| Arterial roads | Main roads in cities, usually linking urban areas with highways |
| Railways | Carry bulk materials over long distances |
| Subways | Underground rail-based public transportation systems |
| Airports | Air transportation hubs used to handle airborne cargo and passengers |
| Seaports | Coastal transportation hubs used for docking ships to load and unload cargo and passengers |
| Transit systems | Public transport systems including buses, subways and light rails, usually administered by a single agency |
| Intermodal networks | Transportation systems that integrate and link multiple modes; ports are examples of intermodal nodes |
| Evacuation routes | Designated transportation corridors for evacuating people during emergencies |
| Utilities | |
| Electrical grids | Interconnected systems for generating, storing and transmitting electricity. Crucial for logistics operations such as electric transport and warehouses |
| Fuel systems | Infrastructure and operations needed to produce, store and distribute fuels (e.g. gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, propane) |
| Gas pipelines | Underground or aboveground pipe systems transporting gas or liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from production/storage facilities to end-users |
| Water systems | Network used to produce, store and distribute drinking water to end-users |
| Stormwater pipelines | Underground networks designed to drain or collect rainwater from streets and houses and transport it to designated areas |
| Cooling systems | Systems designed to regulate heat and preserve temperature, essential in data centers and vaccine storage facilities |
| Communication and information systems | |
| Communication systems | Technological infrastructure for transmitting information (e.g. data, video, voice) via wired and wireless means |
| Information systems | Tangible and intangible assets used to create, process, store and disseminate information to support decision-making |
| Traffic management systems | Technologies and policies to monitor, regulate and optimize the movement of vehicles and people |
| Logistics and storage facilities | |
| Warehouses | Facilities used to stockpile, sort and dispatch materials to end-users |
| Distribution centers | Similar to warehouse but designed for faster throughput; materials are temporarily stored before dispatch |
| Retail facilities | Facilities such as pharmacies, grocery stores and fulfillment centers that support humanitarian response due to their wide geographical dispersion and accessibility |
| Food banks | Non-profit or public facilities that collect, store and distribute food to people facing food insecurity |
| Social and public services | |
| Public health systems | Institutions and organizations providing health services (e.g. hospitals, clinics, laboratories) |
| Educational systems | Institutions and facilities delivering education services (e.g. schools, universities), often used as shelters during disasters |
| Housing facilities | Structures and spaces where people live in, including private houses, shelters and camps |
| Government infrastructures | Administrative and governance facilities maintaining order and civil services (e.g. police stations, national databases, emergency operation centers) |
| Production and supply systems | |
| Agricultural systems | Processes, infrastructures, technologies and workforce for producing, harvesting, storing and distributing food and agricultural products |
| Industrial productions | Infrastructure and facilities for producing or assembling products (e.g. factories, workshops), crucial for local self-reliance and rapid response |
| Infrastructure type | Description |
|---|---|
| Roads | Facilitate access to affected areas and enable the efficient ground transportation of humanitarian aid |
| Bridges | Fundamental links within road networks, serving a critical role in connecting local areas and supporting regional material flows |
| Highways | Link cities and facilitate rapid long-distance deliveries and evacuations |
| Arterial roads | Main roads in cities, usually linking urban areas with highways |
| Railways | Carry bulk materials over long distances |
| Subways | Underground rail-based public transportation systems |
| Airports | Air transportation hubs used to handle airborne cargo and passengers |
| Seaports | Coastal transportation hubs used for docking ships to load and unload cargo and passengers |
| Transit systems | Public transport systems including buses, subways and light rails, usually administered by a single agency |
| Intermodal networks | Transportation systems that integrate and link multiple modes; ports are examples of intermodal nodes |
| Evacuation routes | Designated transportation corridors for evacuating people during emergencies |
| Electrical grids | Interconnected systems for generating, storing and transmitting electricity. Crucial for logistics operations such as electric transport and warehouses |
| Fuel systems | Infrastructure and operations needed to produce, store and distribute fuels (e.g. gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, propane) |
| Gas pipelines | Underground or aboveground pipe systems transporting gas or liquified petroleum gas ( |
| Water systems | Network used to produce, store and distribute drinking water to end-users |
| Stormwater pipelines | Underground networks designed to drain or collect rainwater from streets and houses and transport it to designated areas |
| Cooling systems | Systems designed to regulate heat and preserve temperature, essential in data centers and vaccine storage facilities |
| Communication systems | Technological infrastructure for transmitting information (e.g. data, video, voice) via wired and wireless means |
| Information systems | Tangible and intangible assets used to create, process, store and disseminate information to support decision-making |
| Traffic management systems | Technologies and policies to monitor, regulate and optimize the movement of vehicles and people |
| Warehouses | Facilities used to stockpile, sort and dispatch materials to end-users |
| Distribution centers | Similar to warehouse but designed for faster throughput; materials are temporarily stored before dispatch |
| Retail facilities | Facilities such as pharmacies, grocery stores and fulfillment centers that support humanitarian response due to their wide geographical dispersion and accessibility |
| Food banks | Non-profit or public facilities that collect, store and distribute food to people facing food insecurity |
| Public health systems | Institutions and organizations providing health services (e.g. hospitals, clinics, laboratories) |
| Educational systems | Institutions and facilities delivering education services (e.g. schools, universities), often used as shelters during disasters |
| Housing facilities | Structures and spaces where people live in, including private houses, shelters and camps |
| Government infrastructures | Administrative and governance facilities maintaining order and civil services (e.g. police stations, national databases, emergency operation centers) |
| Agricultural systems | Processes, infrastructures, technologies and workforce for producing, harvesting, storing and distributing food and agricultural products |
| Industrial productions | Infrastructure and facilities for producing or assembling products (e.g. factories, workshops), crucial for local self-reliance and rapid response |
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