HELIOS Software

STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS 

         

HELIOS is a comprehensive supply chain software solution that enables effective and accountable delivery and management of the vast amount of goods and donations distributed to more than 200 million people affected every year by catastrophic disasters around the world. Access to the right information is critical to the ability of humanitarian organizations to communicate, collaborate, coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid.   HELIOS provides relief organizations with online real-time data, enabling them to provide the right aid at the right place at the right time.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

HELIOS is a web-based supply chain solution designated specifically for humanitarian logistics. HELIOS automates five critical humanitarian supply chain activities: request processing, project management, mobilization, procurement, and warehousing. It provides organization-wide visibility to the entire humanitarian supply chain, from source to final destination, via a tracking module that tracks commodities flowing through the supply chain at the line-item level, as well as a full complement of management report.

PRODUCT BENEFITS

Real-time, easily available data that allows for effective collaboration and coordination under difficult and often dangerous conditions is necessary for the success of any relief operation. Good data drives good decisions.  HELIOS enables relief organizations to mobilize instantly when emergencies arise.

• Speeds Aid Delivery: Streamlines critical humanitarian supply chain activities
• Increases Preparedness: Makes hard data available to enhance planning capabilities at headquarters and in the field
• Lowers Costs: Provides real-time pipeline visibility to reduce inventory and transportation costs; maintains historical data on suppliers resulting in improved ability to negotiate price with vendors 
• Enhances Accountability: Provides data for accurate reporting to donors; enables standardization process and procedures to improve data collection and minimize waste
• Improves decision making: Gives visibility into all levels of relief operations enabling informed and timely decisions within and across organizations
• Maximizes   Effectiveness:  Provides an opportunity for greater collaboration, coordination and resource sharing within the international humanitarian community

Accessibility.  Once configured and loaded with an organization's data, HELIOS can be accessed with a standard PC, browser and internet connections. Field locations can use it offline to automate local operations -- a critical feature for field workers operating in remote areas  Transactions can be transmitted between offline PCs via email or USB flash drive to facilitate data entry across the entire supply chain.

Technical Description.  Developed on Microsoft .NET platform (v.1.1). Designed to run on Microsoft Windows Server 2000, utilizing Microsoft SQL Server 2000.  User requirements: Windows 95 or above; Internet Explorer v.5.0 or above.

WHAT MAKES HELIOS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PRODUCTS?

HELIOS is the only software of its kind built by and in partnership with humanitarian organizations to manage the complex demands of immediate relief as well as long-term reconstruction operations. This solution offers a set of functionalities and architecture that is specifically designed to accommodate the unique needs of the humanitarian supply chain management. HELIOS is the only supply chain solution that combines the following attributes:

• Fully functional both online and offline (without an internet connection)
• Provides both field and headquarters perspectives
• Manages humanitarian supply chain in both disaster and ‘steady state’ situations
• Flexible: Users can choose which modules to implement

HELIOS HISTORY

Prior to HELIOS, Fritz Institute in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) developed Humanitarian Logistics Software (HLS). HLS has been used successfully to coordinate numerous relief operations around the world, including the 2004 South Asia tsunami, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, and the 2006 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia with the following dramatic improvements in efficiency:

HELIOS is the next-generation of Fritz Institute’s Humanitarian Logistics Software (HLS). It enables the humanitarian sector to move forward in the effective delivery of logistics and supply chain management. HELIOS is a software solution for the entire Sector.

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