From data to readiness: how digital technologies and memory can shape humanitarian supply chains

Purpose Grounded in information processing theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of digital technologies and memory on humanitarian supply chains’ readiness to respond to natural disasters. It also examines whether the use of digital technologies influences memory development within these supply chains. Design/methodology/approach We collected data from 255 key professionals involved in humanitarian operations and analyzed the proposed model using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that emerging digital technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, blockchain, 3D printing, virtual reality and drones) act as essential information-processing mechanisms that do not directly affect readiness. Instead, they facilitate the systematic generation, storage and retrieval of complex disaster data, transforming it into a humanitarian supply chain memory. This memory serves as a full mediator, ensuring that processed information becomes a durable repository of actionable knowledge that significantly enhances predisaster readiness. Originality/value This study contributes to both the literature and practice by empirically demonstrating that humanitarian supply chain memory is a necessary mechanism through which digital technologies improve readiness, and by highlighting the importance of prior knowledge, beyond experience alone, for enhancing humanitarian supply chains’ ability to respond to natural disasters. For policymakers and public governance, the results emphasize the strategic importance of integrating digital technologies and memory into disaster management policies. Policies that preserve and mobilize disaster memory, supported by digital technologies, can enhance readiness, foster collective learning and build more adaptive and connected responses to natural disasters.