RFID-based Multi-purpose Smart Post Boxes in Smart Cities

In IoT (Internet of Things), the concept of a Smart City integrates technologies and physical devices in various fields of deployment. One such instance is logistics. With the increasing popularity and need for online shopping, the e-commerce sector is growing-which goes hand in hand with the logistics industry. The logistics industry keeps growing and is gaining more and more importance-and so do the delivery solutions in the last-mile part of the logistics chain. The last-mile delivery offers a lot of possibilities for new and complexly integrated smart solutions. We propose a new solution for smart delivery services on the last mile. We call it a Smart Post Box. This concept combines various elements and creates a multi-purpose smart city solution that can be easily integrated into different systems. It introduces new ways to receive and send packages, integrates as a part of a smart household, sends notifications, and can be used to collect valuable data. During the current coronavirus outbreak, this solution would prove to be useful in reducing interpersonal contact and thus help eliminate the transfer of the disease. Our calculations show great potential for such innovation. © 2022 IEEE.

Crisis and Humanitarian Logistics as Opposed to Pandemic Logistics

Purpose: The aim of the article is to differentiate the logistics processes directly connected with pandemics and describing them with a new terminology. Design/Methodology/Approach: Following research methods have been adapted: analysis (disposition of the researched logistics categories), synthesis (matching the parts in a specified structure), generalization (merging the elements into a domain). Findings: The result of the research is isolating a new domain which is pandemic logistics. Practical implications: Implementing the research results will enable to explore, within logistic, a new scientific field which is the concept of supply chains for personal protective equipment, specialistic medical equipment, particular medicaments and most of all vaccines. Originality/ value: A novel value of the crisis situation and crisis logistics theory, humanitarian catastrophe and humanitarian logistics as well as the course of pandemics is to identify and describe the pandemic logistics issues.